CIHM 
Microfiche 
Series 
(IMonographs) 


ICIVIH 

Collection  de 
microfiches 
(monographies) 


Canadian  institute  for  Historical  Microraproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes  /  Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best  original 
copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this  copy  which 
may  be  bibliographically  unique,  which  may  alter  any  of 
the  images  in  the  reproduction,  or  which  may 
significantly  change  the  usual  method  of  filming  are 
checked  below. 

0   Coloured  covers  / 
Couverture  de  couleur 

□    Covers  damaged  / 
Couverture  endommag^e 

□    Covers  restored  and/or  laminated  / 
Couverture  restauree  et/ou  pellicul^e 

Cover  title  missing  /  Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

I I    Coloured  maps  /  Carles  g6ographiques  en  couleur 

a   Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)  / 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

□   Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations  / 
Planches  et/ou  Illustrations  en  couleur 

□    Bound  with  other  material  / 
Reli6  avec  d'autres  documents 

Only  edition  available  / 
Seule  Edition  disponible 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion  along 
interior  margin  /  La  reliure  serr^e  peut  causer  de 
I'ombre  ou  de  la  distorsion  le  long  de  la  marge 
int6rieure. 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restorations  may  appear 
within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these  have  been 
omitted  from  filming  /  II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages 
blanches  ajout6es  lors  d'une  restauration 
apparaissent  dans  le  texte,  mais,  lorsque  cela  dtait 
possible,  ces  pages  n'ont  pas  6t§  f  ilm^es. 

Additional  comments  / 
Commentaires  suppl^mentaires: 


n 


D 


L'Institut  a  microfiime  le  meiileur  exemplaire  qu'il  h  '  a 
e\6  possible  do  se  procurer.  Les  details  de  cet  exem- 
plaire qui  sont  peut-etre  uniques  du  point  de  vue  bibli- 
ographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier  une  image  reproduite, 
ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une  modification  dans  la  m6tho- 
de  normale  de  filmage  sont  indiques  ci-dessous. 

Coloured  pages  /  Pages  de  couleur 

j I    Pages  damaged  /  Pages  endommagees 


D 


Pages  restored  and/or  laminated  / 
Pages  restaurees  et/ou  pelliculees 


0    Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed  / 
Pages  decolordes,  tachetees  ou  piqu^es 

Pages  detached  /  Pages  detachees 

t/    Showthrough  /  Transparence 

I      I   Quality  of  print  varies  / 


n 


n 


Quality  inegale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  material  / 
Comprend  du  materiel  suppl6mentaire 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata  slips, 
tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to  ensure  the  best 
possible  image  /  Les  pages  totalement  ou 
partiellement  obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une 
pelure,  etc.,  ont  6t6  film6es  a  nouveau  de  fagon  k 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 

Opposing  pages  with  varying  colouration  or 
discolourations  are  filmed  twice  to  ensure  the  best 
possible  image  /  Les  pages  s'opposant  ayant  des 
colorations  variables  ou  des  decolorations  sont 
film^es  deux  fois  afin  d'obtenir  la  meilleure  image 
possible. 


D 


This  item  Is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checlted  below  / 

Ce  Jocument  est  iitme  au  taux  de  .'eduction  Inc^'oue  ci-dessous. 


lOx 

14x 

18x 

22x 

26x 

30x 

J 

12x 

16x 

20x 

24x 

28x 

32x 

Th«  copy  filmed  h«r«  has  b—n  raproducad  thanka 
to  tha  ganaroaity  of: 

National  Library  of  Canada 


L'axamplaira  filmi  fut  raproduit  grica  A  la 
g4ii4roaiti  da: 

Blbliotheque  nationale  du  Canada 


Tha  imagaa  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  baat  quality 
poaaibia  coniidaring  tha  condition  and  lagibility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  kaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  apacif icationa. 


Laa  imagaa  suivantaa  ont  *ti  raproduitas  avac  la 
plua  grand  aoin.  compta  tanu  da  la  condition  at 
da  la  nanat*  da  l'axamplaira  filmi.  at  mn 
conformity  avac  laa  conditiona  du  contrat  da 
fiimaga. 


Original  copias  in  printad  papar  covara  ara  filmad 
beginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  laat  paga  with  a  printad  or  illuatratad  impraa- 
aion,  or  tha  back  covar  whan  appropriata.  All 
othar  original  copiaa  ara  filmad  beginning  on  tha 
firat  paga  with  a  printad  or  illuatratad  impraa- 
aion,  and  anding  on  tha  laat  paga  with  a  printad 
or  illuatratad  imprasaion. 


Tha  laat  recorded  frame  on  eech  microfiche 
ahall  contain  tha  symbol  •-i»' (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED ").  or  the  symbol  ▼  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Lea  exemplairea  originaux  dont  la  couverture  an 
pepier  eat  imprim*e  aont  film*s  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  plat  at  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
darniire  page  qui  compone  une  empreinte 
d'impresaion  ou  d'illuatration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  aalon  le  caa.  Toua  lea  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  aont  filmAa  vn  commen9ant  par  la 
premiere  pege  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impreasion  ou  d'illuatration  at  en  terminant  oar 
la  darniire  paga  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  doa  symbolaa  auivanta  apparaitra  sur  la 
darniire  image  da  cheque  microfiche,  selon  la 
caa:  le  symbole  ^^'Signifia  "A  SUIVRE".  le 
symbole  ▼  aignifia  "FIN". 


Maps,  platea,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  ere  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hend  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  aa 
required.  The  following  diagrama  illuatrata  the 
method: 


Lea  cartea,  planchaa,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  efa 
film*a  A  dee  taux  da  reduction  diffirents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  itra 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichA,  il  est  filmi  i  partir 
da  Tangle  supirieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droita. 
at  de  haut  en  baa,  an  prenant  la  nombra 
d'imagea  nicaaaaire.  Lea  diagrammes  suivants 
illuatrant  la  mithode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

MICROCOPY    RESOLUTION    TEST   CHART 

(ANSI  and  ISO  TEST  CHART  No   2) 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


2.8 


13.2 
1^ 


1.4 


2.5 
2.2 

2.0 


1.8 


1.6 


^  APPLIED  INA^GE     he 

^^  1653   E-Gst    Main    Street 

r.S  Rochester,   New   York         14609       ^  5A 

.^S  (716)    482  -  0300  -  Phone 

S^  (716)    288  -  5989  -  Fax 


_i 


•i* 


^IJ    UluL 


^ 


^   V 


I 


a. 


u 


] 


^ 


»--^0<^v^ 


<— ^V"         / 


i^. 


/  // 


/) 


/ 


Ky'J^ 


u  u 


/: 


f: 


u 


/a 


.^''  -^   ^...<  ///.'C.'  r- 


•^--^      - 


jU 


/ 


*■  XSjt' 


'^^^l^^Ulfr^i^lz^ 


i    -"jI 


i^ 


k^/^Jt:? 


THE  WORLD.  THE 

CHURCH.  AND 

THE  DEVIL 


BY 


JOHN  ARCHIBALD  MORISON 


BOSTON:    RICHARD   G.   BADGER 

TORONTO:   THE  COPP  CLARK  CO.,  LIMITED 


^  <^  D  o.',  Cr 


6973 


CoPYWoHT,  1916,  B»  John  Abckbaid  y    snoM 


AU  Righu  Resenred 


The  Gorham  Press,  Boston,  U.  S.  A. 
Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


I'f." 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTM  PACK 

I.     Travelers 7 

II.     The  Call 17 

III.  The  Ordination  of  Mr.  James  Muir  .  29 

IV.  "Ye  Gates,   Lift  up   Your   Heads  on 

High" 40 

V.     Mapleton  Firesides 46 

VI.     Into  a  Far  Country 69 

VII.     Albuk,  New  Mexico 79 

VIII.     The    Last    Will   and   Testament   of 

William  Main 90 

IX.     Fate  Shifts  the  Scenes 94 

X.     Music,  the  Universal  Language    .    .  107 

XL     The  Tragedy  and  Triumph  of  a  Soul  .  117 

XII.     Among  the  Members  of  the  Kirk   .    .  132 

XIII.  Sacrament  Sabbath  in  the  Kirk    ,    ,  147 

XIV.  The  Mystery  of  Love 157 

XV.     The  Auld  Kirk  0'  St.  Giles    ....  177 

XVI.     Love  Is  Victory igo 


'""m}; 


'j^^Mm^-^Mm^:^^^msii 


j.^ 


-S.ii  - 


m^^^^^^MMm. 


1 


THE  WORLD  THE  CHURCH  AND 
THE  DEVIL 


z^%imdM::mmmBk 


i»p.»^^^sg2ig^^^»ri!S^£:^s^2aB^^ 


THE  WORLD,  THE  CHURCH 
AND  THE  DEVIL 


CHAPTER  I 


I 


TRAVELERS 

/^HANGE     for     Millerton,     Barry,     Morn- 
^^ingside    and    Mapleton;    this    car    goes    to 
Port  Huron  and  Chicago,"  sang  out  the  brakes- 
man on  the  fast  express  that  came  rushing  into 
Saflford    Junction    from    the    East.      He    had 
scarcely  pronounced    hese  words  when  a  young 
man  dressed  in  blacl  .  seated  near  the  center  of 
the  car,  leaned  over  and  hurriedly  thrusting  a 
manuscript  he  had  been  reading  into  his  grip  with 
his  large  muscular  fingers  snapped  it  shut.     It 
was  a  chill  morning  in  the  month  of  November 
and  as  he  stepped  off  the  car  and  quickly  moved 
across  the  platform  he  was  followed  by  a  large 
squarely  built  man  and  two  ladies  who  leisurely 
made  their  way  in  the  same  direction.    As  they 

7 


.>W.*    -^•^'■■■•rv-Vl^^ft:? 


8       The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Dei'il 

moved  over  to  where  the  young  man  was  stand- 
ing a  local  train  of  three  cars  backed  slowly  along- 
side.    "Here  is  our  train,  Alice,"  said  Dr.  Mac- 
iaren  to  his  wife,  as  she  drew  near  to  where  he 
was  standing.     "This  is  our  last  change  and  we 
will  soon  be  home."    "I  am  sure  1  am  not  sorry," 
replied  his  wife,  "although  we've  had  a  lovely 
trip,   but  you  know  I'm  just  dying  to  see  the 
children.^    I  hope  they  will  be  at  the  station  to 
meet  us."  "You  may  be  sure  they  will.   I  phoned 
Duncan  last  night  from  Toronto  that  he  could 
make  ready  for  that  operation  this  afternoon. 
He  wired  me  to  the  steamer  at  Quebec  to  hurry 
up,  as  David  Bruce  was  home  at  his  father's  and 
that  the  only  chance  of  prolonging  his  life  was 
an  immediate  operation." 

"I  hope  you  will  be  able  to  help  him,"  replied 
his  wife— then,  dropping  her  voice,  added,  "poor 
boy,  he  has  just  about  broken  his  mother's  heart. 
Of  course,  he  was  a  bit  wild,  but  I  always  liked 
him  and  I  think  most  of  the  neighbors  did  also. 
While  he  was  reckless  and  never  went  to  church, 
yet  in  many  ways  he  seemed  to  be  the  best  of 
their  boys.  He  was  manly  and  above  board 
and  not  a  bit  like  his  brother  Dick,  whom  I  al- 
ways thought  more  pious  than  righteous.  But 
the  old  man,  who  was  never  done  finding  fault 


•5»??^';sm»ft 


^ 'v'V^'jt^*  '-i\*   ''^■■■fct',j"r^  JrK,  *'„ 


Travelers  9 

with  David,  could  see  nothing  but  good  in  Dick — 
he  always  went  to  church  with  him." 

"All  aboard   for  Millerton,   Barry,   Morning- 
side,  Mapleton  and  Glencoe,"  sl.outed  the  train- 
man,   and    Dr.    Maclaren   and    his    wife,    after 
beckoning  to  Miss  St.  Claire,  who  had  started 
down  the  pitaform,  hastily  took  their  chairs  in 
the  parlor  car.    Some  seats  in  front  of  them  they 
spied  the  young  man  in  black  whom  they  had 
observed  the  day  before  in  the  dining  car  between 
Montreal   and    Toronto.      He    was    rather   dis- 
tinguished in  appearance.    The  sort  of  man  that 
one  might  look  twice  at.     And  Mrs.  Maclaren, 
catching  her  husband's  eye,  whispered,  "I  won- 
der who  that  man  is;  he  looks  like  a  preacher. 
Perhaps  he  is  going  to  Mapleton." 

"Oh,  yes,"  replied  the  Doctor,  "I  happened  to 
meet  Dugald  Thomson  last  night  at  the  Queens 
and  he  told  me  that  they  were  expecting  a  min- 
ister for  Sunday,  a  young  man  of  more  than 
ordinary  ability ;  they  are  still  hearing  candidates, 
you  know." 

Dr.  Maclaren  was  known  far  and  wide  as  one 
of  the  most  skilful  surgeons  in  Ontario,  and  his 
absence  from  Mapleton  for  the  unusual  period  of 
two  months  had  been  due  to  the  fact  that  his 
well-known  professional  skill,  coupled  with  the 


fm 


10     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

high  respect  for  his  splendid  manhood,  which  had 
been  universally  accorded  him,  had  conspired  to 
effect  his  election  as  representative  of  the  On- 
tario  Medical   Society  at   the  Congress  of  the 
British  Medical  Association,  which  had  just  con- 
cluded its  sessions  in  the  City  of  Glasgow.     On 
this  trip  abroad  he  had  been  accompanied  by  his 
wife  and  by  the  daughter  of  the  late  Dr.   St. 
Claire,  to  whose  practise  he  had  some  years  pre- 
viously succeeded.     In  the  mind  of  Mrs.  Mac- 
laren  it  was  still  an  open  question  whether  the 
learned  thesis  of  her  distinguished  husband  or  the 
charming  personality  of  Jean  St.  Claire  had  pro- 
voked the  greater  sensation  among  the  younger 
members  of  that  convention. 

As  the  train  drew  into  Barry  Station,  Jean, 
who  had  been  monopolized  since  leaving  Saflford 
Junction  by  an  elderly  lady,  Mrs.  MacGregor, 
who  had  been  her  mother's  friend,  came  forward. 
"I  see  you  have  just  been  chatting  with  Mrs. 
MacGregor,"  said  the  Doctor.  "She  is  a  good 
old  soul.    What's  the  news  from  Mapleton?" 

"She  is  just  a  dear,"  replied  Jean,  "and  is  re- 
turning home  from  Gait;  but  if  I  did  not  love  her 
so  much  I  would  be  inclined  to  laugh  at  her,  for 
her  first  and  last  topic  of  conversation  was  the 
Church.    They  haven't  got  a  minister  settled  yet 


^'^'^^?m^. 


Travelers 


II 


in  St.  Giles,  but  Mrs.  MacGregor  tells  me  that 
they  expect  to  hear  a  young  man  on  Sunday  who 
has  just  returned  from  Edinburgh  and  who  is 
said  to  be  a  great  preacher." 

"I  hope  your  interest  in  him  will  not  be  other 
than  theological.  Jean."  said  Mrs.  Maclarcn,  with 
a  smile.    "You  know  that  after  the  Medical  baM 
m  Glasgow,  young  Dr.   MacLeod,  who  claimed 
you  for  so  many  dances,  told  me  that  he  was  con- 
templating a  trip  to  Canada  next  summer     The 
Scotch  are  such  proverbial  travelers,  you  know, 
and  then  he  seemed  strangely  agitated  when  he 
missed  meeting  you  again  at  the  closing  banquet. 
It  was  too  amusing  for  anything,  the  way  he 
acted.    When  I  told  him  you  had  gone  up  to  Lon- 
don the  night  before  with  Mrs.  Dr.  Webster  and 
that  you  would  not  be  back,  but  would  join  us  at 
Liverpool,  his  eyes  stared  straight  ahead  of  him 
for  a  moment  and  then  he  said  that  he  could  wish 
Mrs.  Dr.  Webster  had  gone  to  Heaven  and  gone 
alone;  and  then  you  know  the  flowers!"     This 
sally  of  Mrs.  Maclaren's  caused  the  color  to  flush 
Jean's  face  and  to  mount  up  under  the  wavy 
brown  hair  that  caressingly  encircled  her  temples 
and  turning  quickly  to  Dr.  Maclaren,  with  a  sup- 
pressed smile,  she  asked  him  if  he  knew  that 
W.  G.  Hale  of  Mapleton  was  in  the  next  car. 


•  ^:..rP^\tP^ 


12     The  ll'orld,  the  Church  ami  the  De^nl 

"No,  but  I  will  go  through  and  see  him.  He 
will  know  all  about  the  sensational  flight  of  Dili- 
cum  to  the  United  States.  Your  brother  had 
about  five  thousand  dollars  on  deposit  at  his 
bank  and  he  has  lost  it  all.  That  man  Dilicum 
is  surely  a  crook.  Why,  he  even  accepted  a 
twelve-hundred-dollar  deposit  from  Bob  ten 
minutes  before  the  Bank  closed  on  Wednesday 
and  on  Thursday  it  did  not  open  its  doors.  Dili- 
cum was  gone — nobody  knew  where— and  it  was 
said  that  the  only  man  who  was  wise  was  Lawyer 
Sharp,  the  Bank's  attorney." 

"He  was  a  good  brother  mason,   wasn't  he. 
John?"  exclaimed  his  wife. 

"Perhaps  he  was,  Alice,"  replied  the  Doctor, 
"but  you  must  not  forget  that  St.  Giles  Church 
people  were  also  taken  in,  and  the  minister  simply 
had  to  get  another  church— he  was  badly  deceived 
by  Dilicum.  That  man  was  a  proper  hypocrite— 
U£cl  to  attend  prayer  meeting,  and  his  pious 
prayers  fairly  hypnotized  the  preacher  and  elders, 
while  the  ladies  of  the  Foreign  Missionary  So- 
ciety all  thought  he  was  just  inspired,  the  fervent 
way  he  used  to  plead  the  cause  of  the  benighted 
heathen.  He  told  them  at  the  annual  church 
meeting,  a  year  ago,  that  the  churches  had  been 
playing  with  the  missionary  problem   for  long 


n,n 


Travelers  j^ 

enough  and  that  it  was  about  time  they  apphed 
business  methods  to  the  missionary  movement. 
Mrs.   Lawrence  almost  became  hysterical  when 
he  added  that  at  every  tick  of  the  clock  one  thou- 
sand heathen  souls  dropped  into  Hell.    The  whole 
church  got  busy  after  that  and  a  personal  canvass 
of  every  member  was  made  and  as  a  result  last 
March  they  reported  $5,000  as  the  missionary 
collection  for  the  year.     They  never  had  more 
than  eight  hundred  dollars  a  year  before-and  to 
think  that  all  this  missionary  money  was  on  de- 
posit in  his  bank.     Then  old  David  Bruce   the 
elder,  had  deposited  the  savings  of  his  life-time 
with  Dihcum's  bank  also,  and  indeed  I  don't  know 
how  many  more  of  the  Church  people. 

"What  caught  old  David  was  DiHcum's  strict 
orthodoxy.  W.  G.  Hale  quit  going  to  church  and 
the  church  people  felt  rather  sore  when  he  gave 
up  his  pew,  and  some  of  them  called  him  a  skeptic 
but  I  don't  know.  W.  G.  would  never  say  much 
about  his  reasons,  and  I  for  one  do  not  think  he 
had  lost  his  faith  in  God.  for  he  has,  on  different 
occasions,  invited  the  Salvation  Army  to  conduct 
their  meetings  on  his  lawn.  He  told  me  one  day 
that  he  believed  they  were  sincere  and  were  ac- 
tually accomplishing  more  good  than  all  the 
churches  put  together  and  that  while  he  liked  our 


«<ll 


14     77/f  IForld,  the  Church  and  thr  Devil 

last  minister  as  a  man,  he  could  not  stand  his 
preaching,  for  he  always  felt  while  listening  to 
him  that  he  avoided  striking  right  home — per- 
haps he  did,"  continued  the  D(.ctor.  "His  spe- 
cialty was  opiates,  and  the  majority  of  the  cases 
called  for  a  surgical  operation,  but  I  must  now 
go  and  see  W.  G." 

Jean  St.  Claire  remained  silent  for  some  time 
after  the  Doctor  had  gone,  while  Mrs.  Maclaren 
busied  herself  arranging  her  handbag. 

"Jean,  you  are  surely  in  a  brown  study.  I  fear 
your    thoughts    are     far    away    in    Glasgow 

with '• 

"No,  indeed,  I  was  just  thinking  of  the  awful 
distress  at  Mapleton  among  the  mill  hands  occa- 
sioned by  this  Dilicum  bank  crash.  To  think,  that 
that  man  had  the  callousness  to  decamp  with  all 
their  hard-earned  savings !" 

"It  is  too  bad,  indeed,"  said  Mrs.  Maclaren, 
"and  tiie  Government  ought  to  exercise  a  stricter 
sui)trvisi(in  over  all  these  orivate  banks.  The 
Doctor  was  telling  me  yesterday  that  two  other 
private  bankers  in  the  province  of  Que*-  :  had 
also  gone  wrong  and  that  Edward  Arnold's  pri- 
vate bank  in  Mapleton  had  closed  its  doors." 

"No — surely  not!"  exclaimed  Jean;  "and  he 
was  steward  of  the  Methodist  Church." 


Travelers  1 5 

"Well,  his  case  was  not  quite  so  l^ad  as  Dili- 
cum's."  replied  Mrs.  Maclaren.  "after  the  Dili- 
cum  smash  the  air  was  electric  with  panic  and 
old  Ed.  Arnold,  realizing  that  his  hank  was  in 
no  condition  to  weather  a  storm,  made  over  all 
his  assets  to  the  Canadian  Bank,  and  the  follow- 
ing morning  when  the  depositors  stormed  his 
bank  door  they  read  the  notice  ; 

THIS   BANK   H.\S  TRANSFERRED 

ALL  ITS  BUSINESS  TO  THE 

CANADIAN  BANK. 

ALL  PERSONS   I<     VING  BUSINESS 

WITH    THIS   BANK   WILI    HAVE 

THEIR   ACCOUNTS   SETTLED  AT   ITS 

OFFICE  ON    WALLACE   STREET.' 


"The  next  morning  as  the  Methodist  minister 
walked  down  town  he  ran  into  his  trusty  steward 
and  upon  inquiring  about  his  affairs,  which  were 
the  talk  of  the  town,  Ed  replied  with  his  usual 
unctuousness,  'Yes,  pastor.  I  have  gone  out  of  the 
bankmg  business  and  now  I'm  going  to  live  ncarei 
to  my  GckI  !'  " 

As  Mrs.  Maclaren  pronounced  the  words  "to 
my  God,"  the  air-brakes  were  applied  to  the  train 


1 6     The  World,  the  Chunh  and  the  Devil 

and  a  grinding  noise,  like  the  creaking  of  a  great 
furnace  door  turning  upon  its  angry  hinges,  was 
heard  beneath  the  car, 

"Mapleton— Mapleton,"  shouted  the  trainman. 


CHAPTER  II 


THE  CALL 


TAMES  MUIR  was  sitting  alone  in  his  small 
•^  room  on  the  third  story  of  a  stone  front  house, 
which  crowded  itself  against  the  pavement  of 
Hudson  Bay  Hill  in  the  City  of  Mere  des  Villes. 
On  the  right-hand  side  of  the  massive  oak  door 
which  opened  from  the  street  might  be  read  in 
black  enameled  letters  impressed  upon  a  square 
brass  plate  the  name,  John  Hutchinson. 
Dentist.  The  row  of  buildings  of  which  this 
house  marked  the  center  had  half  a  century  be- 
fore been  the  fashionable  homes  of  the  best  blue 
blood  of  Mere  des  Villes,  but  that  City  had 
changed  with  the  years  and  th'^  sides  of  Mount 
Allan  had  allured  the  famihv.s  who  were  known 
by  the  historic  names  at  one  time  familiar  upon 
these  doors.  Two  massive  churches  still  lingered 
upon  either  side  of  the  Hill  thoroughfare,  stand- 
ing like  sentinel:,  casting  a  solemn  glance  upon 
the  passers-by — and  they  mostly  passed  by.  for 

17 


mk 


:*3* 


i8     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

at  this  time  in  the  City  of  Mere  des  Villes  neither 
the  Church  of  John  Knox  nor  the  Church  of 
James  Martineau  any  longer  cast  the  spell  over 
the  people  that  had  been  their  wont  in  days  gone 
by  and  the  glory  also  of  the  gray  stone  front 
houses  above  them  had  departed.    These  houses 
were  now  almost  entirely  given  over  to  Doctors' 
offices  and  Florists'  shops-not  that  there  was 
any  reason  to  infer  that  the  Florists'  business  was 
rromoted   by   the   ^-octors   who   dealt   out  pills 
and  plasters  to  their  patients  in  the  adjoining 
houses.    It  had  just  happened  that  way 

When  James  Muir  had  returned  to  Mere  des 
V.lles  from  pursuing  his  Post-Graduate  studies 
n  Edinburgh,  as  he  said  himself,  his  head  was 
ful    but  his  pocketbook  had  become  correspond- 
•ngly  empty    and  big-hearted  John  Hutchinson, 
the  dentis  ,  had  invited  him  to  make  himself  as 
com.ortable  as  might  be  in  the  attic  room  of  his 
house,  at  a  f^.gure  sufficiently  small  to  suit  the 
young  preacher's  attenuated  pocketbook  and  at 
the  same  t,me  large  enough  not  to  offend  his 
Scotch  pride. 

James  Muir  had  just  finished  reading  the  eve- 
nmg  paper  when  a  knock  was  heard  at  the  door 
and  mto  his  room  walked  the  dentist's  servant 
man,  extending  in  his  hand  a  large  blue  envelope 


^yr--^:-J^^l^:^ 


T 


■^M 


w^%mm^^ 


The  Call 


19 


and  saying  with  a  rich  Irish  brogue,  "Letther  fur 
you,  sor — yer  signature,  plase — shure,  an'  its  reg- 
gisturred." 

"Registered,  Patrick!"  exclaimed  Muir.  *I 
wonder  who  can  be  sending  me  so  much  money." 

"Shure,  sor,  an'  don't  they  reggisturr  som- 
monses  as  well  as  money  in  this  counthree?"  And 
then  added,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye,  "it's  most 
loikle'  a  sommons,  sor." 

"L  -  perhaps  a  call,  Patrick"  said  Muir,  with  a 
smile.     "Thank  you,  Patrick." 

"You're  welcome,  sor." 

Opening  the  envelope  and  taking  in  his  hand  a 
long  document  on  which  there  were  scores  of  sig- 
natures in  as  many  different  hand-writings,  Muir 
observed  that  a  sheet  of  note  paper  had  fallen 
to  the  floor.  Picking  it  up,  he  read  the  following 
words  written  in  a  very  careful  hand : 


"Dear  Mr.   Muir: 

"I  am  enclosing  to  you  the  'Call'  which  has  been  unani- 
mously and  heartily  extended  to  you  by  the  Congregation 
of  St.  Giles'  Church.  Mapleton.  Whfle  two  other  names 
were  offered  in  nomination,  the  ballot  resulted  in  146  votes 
in  your  favor,  with  only  5  votes  divided  between  the  other 
two  candidates,  and  these  votes  represented  only  two 
families.  Tiiat  these  people  had  no  objection  to  yourself 
is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  when  the  ballot  had  been 
announced    on    motion    of    a   gentleman    representing   one 


.^:; 


20     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

tt*ot"eV?ht"?air'  """'J'  '^  '""^  representative  of 
w.c  uiner,  rnis    L.aII   in  vour  favor  wac  ™oj„ 

It  is  not  usual  in  our  Presbytelv  f^r  ,  r  """"""°"«- 
large  and  influential  as  St '  G  L  to  ca^rfo"^'*""  " 
minister  as  yourself    but  fhU  .  ^°""«   ^ 

the  oeoDle    w   i  ,^  "  apparently  the  will   of 

You'wiS  find  .  ""^"^  'r^  ^"^'•^''^  congratulate  you. 
YOU  will  find  a  great  work  to  do  in  Mapleton    and  the 

"Yours  faithfully, 

"A.   G.    Ross, 
C/er*  of  Safford  Presbytery." 

Laying  this  letter  aside.   Muir  proceeded  to 

examme  the  "CALL"-the  first  "Call"  that  he 
had  received,  and  with  deepening  interest,  line 

byline,  he  read  the  solemn  words: 

"We,   office-bearers  and  members  nf  tu^   n 
of  St.  Giles'  Chnrrh    \x     xT      1  ^"*^   Congregation 

good  o(  Hi,  a,„rch,  b.i„g'te,i,„l7o,  S/t*; 
and  be.ng  satisfied  by  our  exnerience  of  ,h  ■  .  ^  ' 
ture,  ministerial  abilities  anr/rXce    »d  ^.r' ,  "?" 

="-a„t;rdlle-/^^^^^^^^^^^ 


The  Call 


21 


engage    to   contribute    to    your    suitable    maintenance    as 
God  may  prosper  us. 

"In  Witness  whereof  we  have  subscribed  this  Call  on 
this  the  fifth  day  of  January  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  ninety-three."  * 

The  winter  twilight  was  fading  into  darkness 
as  Muir  finished  reading  these  words — indeed,  it 
was  now  too  dark  for  him  to  decipher  the  long 
list  of  names  appended.  Leaning  back  in  his 
chair,  and  still  holding  the  Call  in  his  hand,  he 
closed  his  eyes.  He  was  deeply  moved ;  some- 
thing had  told  him  that  this  was  the  voice  of 
God  commanding  him  to  launch  out  into  the 
deep,  and  that  this  command  he  must  obey.  The 
opportunity  for  which  throughout  all  his  college 
years  he  had  sought  to  qualify  himself,  and  which 
had  been  both  desired  and  dreaded  by  him,  had 
now  at  length  appeared.  His  thoughts  wandered 
back  through  the  halls  of  memory,  and  he  gazed 
again  upon  the  old  familiar  scenes  of  his  boy- 
hood. 

Years  before,  when  seated  in  the  old  Scotch 
Kirk  of  his  boyhood,  "St.  C'  ilumba's  of  the  Cha- 
teauguay,"  he  had  heard  a  voice  which  had  pene- 
trated to  the  very  depths  of  his  soul,  and  he  had 
beheld  a  vision  that  had  disturbed  his  former 
contentment. 
'  From  "Rules  and  Forms  of  Procedure." 


22    The  IVorld,  the  Cliunh  and  the  Oefil 

That  Congrcgali,,,,  had,  the  week  previously 
been  strangely  moved  by  the  burning  message 
of  Rober  son  of  Erromanga.     Suntlay  evenitl^ 

n?  ,  '«■„"'  ""'  "="""'"'■■  """'•"■  '^-^veremi 
nol7  '';"'="'"""■  '-«'  his  eongregation  his 
nobV  eatures  glowed  with  a  hght  that  was 
s  ratgey  „„press,ve.  and  the  congregation  was 
more  than  ord.nar.ly  attentive  as  he  announced 
the  words  of  his  text, 

"The  Harvest  is  great  and  the 
Laborers  arc  few." 

With  ehaste   yet  moving  eloqttence.  he  pictured 
the  vast  needs  of  the  world  and  the  lamentable 
scarcity  of  mi  listers.     In  the  course  of  his  ear- 
nest discourse  he  related  a  story  in  the  life  of 
the  great  Scottish  Reformer.  John  Knox.     He 
VHidly  described  the  ancient  Cathedral  of  St 
Andrew-s  and  that  never-to-be-forgotten  Sunday 
upon  which  John  Knox,  as  he  satin  the  congre- 
gation, was  startled  and  abashed  by  the  dir-ct 
appeal  of  John  Rough,  who  summoned  him  pt;b- 
bcly  to  come  forth  as  a  preacher  of  the  Holy 
Evangel    saying:     "John  Knox,  in  the  name  of 
God  and  of  His  Son  Jesus  Christ  and  in  the 
name  of  those  here  present  who  call  you  by  my 
mouth.  I  charge  you  that  you  refuse  not  this 


The  Call 


^Z 


holy  vocation,  but  that  you  tender  the  glory  of 
God,  the  increase  of  Qirist's  Kingdom,  the  edi- 
fication of  your  brethren,  and  the  comfort  of  me, 
whom  you  understand   well  enough  to  be  op- 
pressed with  the  multitude  of  labors,  that  you 
take  upon  you  the  public  office  and  charge  of 
preaching,  even  as  you  look  to  avoid  God's  heavy 
displeasure  and   desire   that   He   shall   multiply 
His  Graces  with  you."     And  then  the  Reverend 
David  Williamson  added,  with  a  solemnity  never 
to  be  forgotten :    "Would  to  God  that  this  night 
the  Spirit  of  the  Living  God  might  by  the  mem- 
ory of  these  words,  and  by  the  vastness  of  the 
world's  need,  incline  some  young  man  to  answer 
the  call  of  God  as  did  John  Knox,  the  great 
founder  of  our  Scottish  Presbyterian  Church": 
and,  repeating  his  text.  "The  Harvest  is  great 
and  the  Laborers  are  few,"  he  earnestly  prayed 
that   God  would   send   forth   laborers  into  His 
vineyard,   and    then    announced   as   the   closing 
psalm  the  familiar  words  so  often  sung  by  Scot- 
tish congregations — 

"My  closed  lips,  0  Lord,  by  Thee 
Let  them  be  opened. 
Then  shall  thy  praises  by  my  mouth 
Abroad  be  published." 

After  the  benediction  had  been  pronounced. 


;t3^^rt:;^wyn 


24     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

James  Muir,  who  had  been  deeply  moved,  sought 
the  sohtude  of  the  fields,  and,  coming  home  to 
the  Manse  at  a  late  hour,  he  found  that  house 
m  darkness.  A  huge  oak  tree,  whose  giant  size 
testified  that  it  had  guarded  the  Manse  for  many 
a  year  while  successive  ministers  had  come  and 
gone,  oflFcred  him  a  retreat  as  dark  and  silent 
as  a  cloister  beneath  its  wide  branches.  Stand- 
ing beside  it.  James  Muir  kept  repeating  to  him- 
self the  words  of  the  evening  Text  ;>nd  Psalm, 

"The  Harvest  is  great! 
The  Laborers  are  few ! 
My  closed  lips!" 

and  then,  looking  up  through  the  sheltering 
branches,  whose  trembling  leaves,  under  the 
breath  of  the  night  air.  seemed  to  symbolize  the 
moving  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  he  repeated  again 
and  again, 

"The   Harvest   is   great ! 
The  Harvest  is  great ! 
The  Laborers  are  few ! 
The  Laborers  are  few ! 
My  closed  lips ! 
My  closed  lips !" 

and  then,  just  as  the  moon  shot  its  beams  through 
the  clouds  and  covered  the  greensward  with  its 
peaceful  light,  falling  down  on  his  knees  upon 


The  Call 


2; 


the  cold  earth  as  with  a  complete  abandonment, 
he  poured  out  his  soul,  crying  aloud : 

"O  Lord,  open  thou  my  lips  and  my  mouth  shall  show 
forth  Thy  praise." 

James  Muir,  like  John  Knox,  had  answered 
the  call,  and  the  mystery  of  discipleship  was  once 
again  repeated  as  he  that  night  resolved  to  leave 
all  and  follow  Christ. 

Up  to  that  period  in  his  life  his  thoughts  had 
been  set  on  journalism,  in  which  he  had  already, 
though  only  a  lad,  given  evidences  of  more  than 
ordinary  ability;  but  now  he  had  heard  a  voice 
and  seen  a  vision,  and  the  current  of  his  life 
had  been  changed,  as  it  were,  by  a  miracle— the 
miracle  of  an  answered  prayer— a  prayer  prayed 
by  a  woman,  his  mother,  who,  on  the  night  of 
her  death,  after  looking  upon  the  blue-eyed, 
flaxen-haired  babe  of  her  agony,  had  committed 
her  child,  so  soon  to  be  orphaned,  to  the  Father 
of  the  fatherless,  and  had  prayed  that  he  might 
be  kept  from  evil  like  the  child  Samuel  of  old. 
and  that  in  the  years  to  come  he  might  by  the 
grace  of  God  become  a  n.ighty  prophet  of  the 
Most  High. 

At  length  James  Muir.  rising  from  his  knees, 
sought  his  room  within  the  Manse.     His  limbs 


•^^ti^;". 


26    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

were  stiff,  for  he  had  long  been  kneeling  on  the 
ground;  the  night  was  far  spent,  the  morning 
was  at  hand,  and  now  at  last  it  was  light. 

After  devoting  years  to  study  and  preparation, 
the  seal  of  God  had  been  set  to  this  call  of  the 
Spirit  by  the  recent  action  of  the  congregation 
of  St.  Giles. 

Rising,  and  putting  on  his  overcoat,  he  went 
out,  but  not  to  the  restaurant  where  he  usually 
dined.  Taking  the  car  uptown  to  Sherwood 
Street,  he  made  his  way  to  the  home  of  a  wealthy 
New  York  family  whom  business  reasons  had 
compelled  to  reside  in  the  City  of  Mere  des  Vil- 
les. 

"Oh,  Muir,  come  in !  Glad  to  see  you,  domi- 
nee!  But  you  look  as  if  you  had  seen  a  ghost. 
Come  and  join  us  in  the  dining  room."  And 
when  the  coffee  had  been  served  and  the  chil- 
dren had  retired,  Muir  related  the  news  of  his 
"Call,"  and,  taking  from  his  pocket  the  large 
blue  envelope,  he  handed  it  to  the  host. 

"Orthodox  blue,  all  right,  Muir,"  said  the  host. 
"Ordination  Trials  at  2  P.  M.  Ahem!  Take 
care,  Muir — these  preachers  will  scalp  you — 
verbal  inspiration,  you  know — Methuselah  lived 
to  be  999  years  old,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing! 
Ha,  ha!     You'll  have  to  swallow  it  all,  confes- 


The  Call 


27 


sion  of  faith  included.  Well,  make  one  big  gulp 
of  it— that's  what  Ranny  of  Glasgow,  I  under- 
stand, advised  young  Foran  to  d(; — swallow  it 
whole,  just  as  you  would  an  oyster!" 

"Why,  Carl!"  reprovingly  exclaimed  his  wife, 
whose  orthodoxy  was  only  surpassed  by  the  kind- 
ness of  her  heart.  "You  are  simply  incorrigible. 
I  do  wish  you  would  read  Doctor  Payson's  Ixjok 
on  the  'Fundamentals  of  our  Christian  Faith.' " 
At  which  words  Carl  Klemperer  uttered  a  laugh. 
"You  need  not  laugh,  Carl,"  insisted  his  wife. 
"I  myself  always  enjoy  Doctor  Payson's  books. 
His  arguments  are  always  logical,  and  he  sup- 
ports so  strongly  the  point  of  view  mother  al- 
ways believed  in." 

Carl  Klemperer  was  too  much  of  a  gentleman 
to  reply  that  to  his  way  of  thinking  the  said 
Dr.  Payson  was  an  old  fossil,  the  sort  of  me- 
chanical genius  who  would  have  made  a  first- 
class  defender  of  the  Ptolemaic  theory  of  the 
universe.  So  he  simply  replied:  "Well,  Muir, 
I  wish  you  all  sorts  of  luck.  I  had  hoped  that 
you  might  have  decided  to  go  into  business,  but 
I  fancy  the  die  is  set  now.  All  the  same,  I  fear 
you  will  find  out  that  nowadays  people  are  more 
interested  in  things  than  in  ideas.  If  you  are 
short  of  cash,  drop  into  the  office  any  day  be- 


28     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

twecn  one  and  two.  People,  you  know,  are  al- 
ways liable  to  be  economical  when  the  matter  of 
their  souls  is  concerned." 

"Oh,  well,"  replied  Muir,  "if  the  good  people 
see  that  the  preachers  never  get  too  much  the 
good  Lord  will  see  that  they  never  get  too  li»      " 

"Let  us  go  up  to  the  library."  said  Klemperer. 
and.  as  he  led  the  way,  he  added:  "Mulner's 
new  German  work  on  the  miracles  has  just  come 
in,  and  it  knocks  many  of  the  old  orthodox  theo- 
ries higher  than  a  kite." 


:.i*L\t!i«IV 


■m^^^^m^ 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  ORDINATION  OF  MR.  JAMES  MUIR 

JN  February.  i8— ,  the  long  cold  spel!  that  had 
•^held  all  nature  for  weeks  as  in  a  vise,  had 
broken  and  a  mild  night  was  followed  by  a 
springlike  morning.  Towards  noon  the  sky  be- 
came overcast,  and  great,  soft  flakes  of  snow, 
which  dissolved  as  soon  as  they  touched  the  pave- 
ment, were  falling  as  the  members  of  Saflford 
Presbytery  made  their  way  to  St.  Giles'  Church. 

Muir  entered  the  vestry  promptly  at  two 
o'clock,  alone.  Among  all  the  clerical  faces 
which  eyed  him  critically  as  he  walked  to 
a  chair  in  the  far  end  of  the  room  there  was 
only  one  with  which  he  was  familiar,  and  the 
presence  of  that  one  strong,  friendly  counte- 
nance, which  shot  a  quick,  encouraging  glance  in 
his  direction  as  he  took  his  seat,  restored  to  him 
his  usual  composure. 

This  man  was  one  of  the  most  outstanding 
educationists  in  Canada,  and  had  been  for  many 

29 


30     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

years  Principal  of  the  Theological  College  lo- 
cated in  the  City  of  Mere  des  Villes.  Through 
his  classes  Muir  had  passed  with  high  honors 
prior  to  his  post-graduate  studies  in  Edinburgh. 
After  the  Court  had  been  called  to  order  by 
two  sharp  taps  on  the  table,  the  Moderator  rose 
and  saying  reverently,  "Let  us  pray,"  offered  the 
following  Invocation : 

"Almighty  and  everlasting  God,  who  by  thy  holy  Spirit 
didst  preside  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  Apostles  and 
Elders  at  Jerusalem,  and  dost  still  inhabit  the  whole  -com- 
pany of  the  faithful ;  mercifully  regard,  we  beseech  Thee, 
thy  servants  chosen  and  gathered  before  Ihee  at  this 
time  as  a  Court  of  Thy  Church.  Shed  down  upon  them 
all  heavenly  wisdom  and  grace;  enlighten  them  with  the 
true  knowledge  of  thy  word;  inflame  them  with  a  pure 
zeal  for  thy  glory;  and  so  order  all  their  dcings  through 
thy  good  Spirit  that  unity  and  peace  shall  prevail  among 
them;  that  truth  ''nd  righteousness  shall  flow  from  them; 
and  that,  by  .heir  endeavors,  all  Thy  ministers  and 
churches  shall  be  established  and  comforted,  Thy  Go  pel 
everywhere  purely  preached  and  truly  followed.  Thy 
Kingdom  among  men  extended  and  strengthened  and  the 
whole  body  of  Thine  elect  people  grow  up  into  Him  who 
is  the  Head  over  all  things  to  the  Church,  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord,  .\men."  * 

'  Prayer  from  "Presbyterian  Forms  of  Service."  Issued 
by  Devotional  Service  .Association  in  connection  with  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church.  Edinburgh :  MacNiven  and 
Wallace,  1899" 


The  Ordination  of  Mr.  James  Muir      31 

When  the  "Amen/'  had  been  pronounced  the 
Moderator  and  01', t  luC'iibers  of  the  Court,  who 
had  been  standin  ■  durins^  the  prayer,  resumed 
their  seats;  where  .pun,  Ihe  laoderator  address- 
ing the  Court  said : 

"Fathers  and  Brethren,  we  are  assembled  here  to-day 
for  the  purpose  of  taking  on  Trial  for  Ordination  to  the 
Office  of  the  Ministry  our  young  brother,  Mr.  James 
Muir,  and  should  his  Trial  be  sustained  of  Ordaining  and 
Inducting  him  minister  of  St.  Giles.  Mr.  Muir  is  now 
present  with  us,  and  I  take  pleasure  in  presenting  him  to 
this   Court" 

At  this  point  in  the  proceedings,  Muir  rose 
respectfully  from  bis  chair: 

"Think  you,  Mr.  Muir;  please  be  seated.  Fathers  and 
Brethren,  what  is  your  pleasure?" 

After  a  moment's  pause  the  Reverend  Mal- 
colm McLennan  of  Zorra  Church,  Safiford,  rose 
and,  addressing  the  Moderator,  said :  "Modera- 
tor, I  move  you  that,  inasmuch  as  the  candidate 
has  already  been  licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel 
within  the  bounds  of  our  Church  by  the  Presby- 
tery of  Mere  des  Villes  and  is  widely  known 
for  his  intellectual  attainments,  we  therefore 
dispense  with  the  formality  of  an  examination, 
authorize  his  Ordination,  and  proceed  to  take  up 
the  other  items  on  the  docket." 


32     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


"A  wud  second  that  motion,  Moderator,"  said 
the  senior  elder  of  St.  Giles. 

Upon  this,  there  was  a  murmur  heard  around 
the  vestry  and  the  Reverend  Fulton  Small,  who 
himself  had  been  an  unsuccessful  candidate  for 
the  pulpit  of  St.  Giles,  and  whose  clerical  collar 
rather  than  his  features  suggested  that  he  also 
was  a  minister,  rose  abruptly  and  said,  with  a 
thin  metallic  tone  in  his  voice,  "Moderator,  I 
would  like  to  remind  Mr.  McLennan  that  the 
examination  of  a  candidate  who  appears  before 
any  of  our  Presbyteries  is  no  formality.  It  is 
an  old  and  honored  custom  in  our  church  and 
dates  back  to  the  Reformation  times.  I  would 
also  remind  our  brother  that  after  the  Reforma- 
tion in  Scotland  Theological  students  were  com- 
pelled to  go  abroad  to  the  Continent  for  their 
course  in  Divinity.  The  Colleges  of  that  time 
in  Scotland  only  taught  the  humanities  and  the 
founders  of  our  great  and  honored  church  very 
properly  appointed  Ordination  Trials  for  every 
Theological  graduate  of  Geneva  or  other  Con- 
tinental schools  who  returned  to  Scotland  to  enter 
upon  the  active  ministry  of  the  Church. 

"How  else  save  by  a  searching  examination 
were  the  Church  Fathers  to  satisfy  themselves 
that  the  Theological  attainments  of  the  candi- 


The  Oruination  of  Mr.  James  Muir       33 

dates  were  adequate,  nay  more,  how  else  could 
they  be  sure  that,  under  the  tuition  and  influence 
of  foreign  professors  they  had  not  imbibed  heret- 
ical opinions?  I  move  in  amendment  that  this 
Court  proceed  to  fulfil  its  duty  according  to  the 
Rules  and  Forms  of  procedure  which  prevail 
amongst  us  and  take  the  candidate  upon  Trial 
for  Ordination." 

This  amendment  was  immediately  seconded  by 
his  own  elder  who  had  that  morning  driven  in 
with  the  Reverend  Fulton  Small  from  the  Parish 
of  Awabac  in  the  Queens  bush.  This  elder  added 
that  it  was  well  known  that  this  particular  young 
candidate  had  studied  under  Marcus  Dods,  whose 
orthodoxy  had  been  at  times  questioned. 

"Question — Question !"  resounded  throughout 
the  vestry,  and  the  amendment  of  the  Reverend 
Fulton  Small  was  carried  by  a  large  majority. 

The  Moderator  forthwith  called  upon  the  Clerk 
to  read  the  names  of  those  who  had  been  charged 
by  the  Presbytery  with  the  examination  of  candi- 
dates. For  some  reason  the  name  of  the  Rev- 
erend Fulton  Small  did  not  appear  on  the  list  of 
examiners.  For  an  hour  and  a  half,  James  Muir, 
standing  up  and  facing  the  Court,  was  subjected 
to  a  continuous  fire  of  questions  which  were  pro- 
pounded by  the  various  examiners.    To  h\^  credit, 


34     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Dev.. 

be  it  said,  he  did  not  once  fall  down,  but  with  a 
perfect  composure  replied  quickly  and  accurately 
to  all  the  several  questions. 

"I  move  that  the  Trials  of  the  candidate  be  sus- 
tained," at  length  said  the  Reverend  Murray  Don- 
aldson, but  before  the  motion  had  been  seconded, 
the  Moderator  interjected,  "Perhaps  some  other 
brethren  desire  to  ask  the  candidate  some  ques- 
tions." 

After  a  moment's  pause  the  Reverend  Fulton 
Small  called  out  with  his  thin  metallic  voice, 
"Yes,  I  would  like  to  ask  the  candidate  some 
questions,"  and  forthwith  fired  at  his  victim  ques- 
tion after  question,  all  of  a  more  or  less  catchy 
nature. 

To  all  of  these  questions  Muir  making  satis- 
factory reply,  it  was  observed  that  the  venerable 
Principal,  who  was  quietly  sitting  at  the  side  of 
the  vestry,  with  eyes  cast  down  as  though 
ashamed,  slowly  stroked  his  long  gray  beard. 

At  last  the  Reverend  Fulton  Small,  still  hungry 
for  blood,  returned  to  the  charge  and  bitingly 
shot  at  Muir  the  words,  "What  is  Traduction- 
ism?" 

Quick  as  a  flash,  but  in  very  quiet  tones,  Muir 
replied,  "I  beg  your  pardon,  but  I  do  not  think 
I  heard  the  question  correctly.    May  I  ask  you  to 


The  Ordination  of  Mr.  James  Muir      35 

repeat  it  to  me?"  "Oh,  yes,  I'll  repeat  it,"  said 
Reverend  Fulton  Small,  with  a  gleam  of  satis- 
faction in  his  eyes;  "What  is  Traductionism ?" 

Muir  turned  his  head  slowly  to  the  M  derator, 
after  casting  his  eye  around  the  vestry,  and  said, 
"Moderator,  I  have  given  careful  attention  to 
the  Divinity  Lectures  of  Professor  Flint  of  Edin- 
burgh and  also  for  three  years  to  the  learned 
Theological  Expositions  of  the  distinguished 
Principal,  who  is  with  us  to-day.  I  have  also 
read  the  Theological  Works  of  Dorner  and  Shedd 
and  Hodge,  and  I  must  confess  my  utter  igno- 
rance of  the  term  'Traductionism.'  " 

The  Moderator,  who  had  not  been  following 
the  Reverend  Fulton  Small's  questions  any  too 
closely,  said,  "Mr.  Small,  what  was  your  nues- 
tion  r" 

"A  very  simple  question,  indeed,"  exclaimed 
the  irate  preacher;  "any  one  pretending  to  a 
knowledge  of  theology  ought  to  be  able  to  answer 
it.    My  question  was,  'What  is  Traductionism?  " 

At  this  point,  Muir,  addressing  the  Moderator, 
said,  "Theologians  have  used  the  term  'Tra- 
ducianism' — perhaps  that  is  what  the  gentleman 
means." 

"That's  what  I  mean,"  stammered  out  the  Rev- 
erend  Fulton   Small,  coloring  crimson,  but  his 


36     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

question  remained  unanswered,  for  the  demure 
divines,  all  save  one.  were  busy  just  at  that  mo- 
ment repressing  smiles— all  save  one,  and  he  had 
other  thoughts  to  occupy  his  attention.  He  asked 
no  more  questions  of  Muir,  whose  Trials  were 
heartily  sustained  by  the  Presbytery. 

But  the  organ  could  now  be  heard;  the  con- 
gregation was  assembling  and  the  members  of 
the  Presbytery  adjourned  into  the  Church,  all  of 
them,  with  the  exception  of  the  Reverend  Alex- 
ander Henderson,  Moderator,  and  the  Reverend 
Principal  Maclvor,  who  had  come  all  the  way 
from  the  City  of  Merc  des  Villes  to  Ordain  his 
former  student. 

Alexander  Henderson  was  the  minister  of 
Perth  and  Dunkeld  Churches,  and  had  the  repu- 
tation of  being  the  most  scholarly  member  of  the 
Presbytery. 

The  more  orthodox  of  the  brethren  had  at 
times  wl  -spered  among  themselves  that  "Hender- 
son was  not  sound  on  the  Fundamentals."  but 
his  popularity  was  so  great  among  the  High- 
landers of  Dunkeld,  whose  hearts  he  had  com- 
pletely won  by  speaking  the  Gaelic,  that  he  was 
not  likely  ever  to  be  charged  with  heresy. 

Some  five  years  previously,  when  he  ha^  been 
accused  of  what  was  known  as  Moderatism  and 


The  Ordination  of  Mr.  James  Muir       2>7 

was  regarded  as  somewhat  lacking  in  evangelical 
zeal,  the  people  of  the  Perth  Congregation,  who 
were  Lowlanders  and  intensely  evangelistic,  had 
become  dissaasfied  with  Henderson,  and  one  of 
their  elders,  Henry  Moir  by  name,  had  reported 
to  the  Presbytery  that  "Henderson  was  not 
preaching  the  Gospel,"  whereupon  the  Presbytery 
had  appointed  a  special  meeting  at  Perth  for  the 
purpose  of  investigating  the  whole  matter.  The 
Highlanders  from  Dunkeld  congregation  ap- 
peared that  day  In  full  force  and  it  was  apparent 
that  they  had  come  with  blood  in  their  eyes. 

None  of  them  understood  a  word  of  English 
except  Roderick  MacTaggart,  their  leader,  and 
even  his  knt)wledge  of  that  "dialect,"  as  he  him- 
self termed  it,  was  scant  indeed. 

As  Roderick  entered  the  Church,  at  the  head 
of  his  clansmen,  one  of  them  whispered  to  him, 
"Give  it  to  them,  Roddy;  you'll  not  be  afraid  to 
speak  up  for  the  Henderson." 

To  this  Roderick  answered  but  one  word, 
"Wait,"  and  his  lips  closed  like  a  vice. 

Testimony  was  offered,  in  due  course,  to  the 
Court  by  Mr.  Moir,  the  elder  of  Perth,  that 
"Mr.  Henderson  had  not  been  preaching  the  Gos- 
pel," and  further  that  "he  had  lost  the  love  of 
some  of  the  Congregation  at  Perth,  and  there- 


38     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

fore  it  had  become  his  painful  duty  to  ask  the 
Presbytery  upon  behalf  of  the  Session  of  Perth 
to  have  Mr.  Henderson  removed." 

As  Moir  gave  his  evidence,  Roderick  eyed  him 
with  a  look  as  dark  as  Egypt, 

He  did  not  understand  all  the  charges,  not 
being  well  acquainted  with  the  English,  but  he 
did  appreciate  that  Elder  Moir  was  attacking  his 
beloved  minister. 

"A  dirty  hypocrite,  he  is,"  Roderick  muttered 
to  MacDonald,  who  sat  beside  him. 

"Yes,"  said  MacDonald.  "He'll  make  the 
long-faced  prayers  and  take  round  the  sacrament 
to  the  Sassenach,  but  for  why  did  Jessie  Munro 
fly  out  of  his  house  at  night  and  run  all  the  way 
home  through  the  cold  rain  and  dark — and  she's 
never  been  to  the  Kirk  since— poor  Jessie,  and 
she  was  such  a  peautiful  girl." 

"Is  Mr.  Roderick  MacTaggart  present?"  called 
out  the  Moderator. 

Roderick  stood  up. 

"Mr.  MacTaggart,"  said  the  Moderator,  ad- 
dressing himself  to  this  Highlander,  "Mr.  Moir 
has  informed  the  Court  that  the  Minister,  the 
Reverend  Mr.  Henderson,  has  not  been  preaching 
the  Gospel,  and  moreover  that  he  has  lost  the 
love  of  the  people — what  do  you  say  to  that?" 


The  Ordination  of  Mr.  James  Muir      39 

Roderick  did  not  know  what  the  English  word 
"Gospel"  meant.  He  understood  that  the  charge 
was  that  the  people  had  lost  their  love  for  Hen- 
derson, Drawing  himself  up  to  his  full  height, 
he  said,  looking  hard  at  the  Moderator,  "Mod- 
erator, I  will  ask  Mr.  Moir  for  what  reason 
Jessie  Munro,  the  peautifulest  girl  in  our  set- 
tlement, ran  away  from  his  house  at  twelve 
o'clock  one  night,  yes,  the  night  that  Mrs.  John- 
ston's baby  died  and  Mrs.  Moir  was  stopping 
with  her?" 

"Order,  order !"  shouted  Moir,  who  had  turned 
as  pale  as  a  ghost,  but  the  impetuous  Highland 
stream  had  broken  loose  and  Roderick  shouted 
out,  "Moir,  Moir — he  is  a  villain.  Henderson — 
Henderson  not  preach  ta  Gospel! — We  don't 
want  ta  Gospel — we  want  ta  Gaelic,  and  any  man 
that  wouldn't  love  the  Henderson  wouldn't  love 
God." 

Since  that  ne\cr-to-be- forgotten  day  no  other 
man  had  ever  had  the  temerity  to  accuse  Rev- 
erend Alexander  Henderson  of  heresy. 


f  ;'■ 

i 


CHAPTER  IV 

'VE  (;ati:s.  liet  up  your  heads  ox 

HIGH" 


T  I'.T  us  unite  in  the  public  worship  of  God 
'■-'hv  sinj^ing  to  his  praise  a  part  of  the 
twenty-fourth  psalm  beginning  with  the  third 
verse." 

Who  is  the  man  that  shall  ascend  into  the  hill  of  God? 
Or  who  within  his  holy  place  shall  have  a  firm  abode? 

Whose   hands  are  clean,   whose   heart   is  pure,   and   unto 

vanity 
Wlto  hath  not  lifted  up  his  soul,  nor  sworn  deceitfully. 

He  from  th'  Eternal  shall  receive  the  ble.sing  him  upon, 
And  righteousness,  ev'n  from  the  God  of  his   salvation. 

Ye  gates,  lift  up  your  heads  on  high ;  ye  doors  that  last 

for  aye. 
Be  lifted  up,  that  so  the  King  of  glory  enter  may. 

As  the  Reverend  Alexander  Henderson  read 
these  words  a  solemn  hush  crept  over  the  congre- 
gation and  as  the  words  of  the  last  verse  were 
sung  it  seemed  that  day  to  James  Muir  as  though 

40 


"Ye  Gates,  Lift  up  Your  Heads"    41 

the  gates  of  heaven  had  been  thrown  wide  open 
and  that  he  saw  with  his  own  eye  the  King  in  all 
His  Glory  and  the  Redeemed  of  the  Lord  around 
th    Throne. 

After  prayer  the  minister  announced  as  his 
text  these  words  from  the  psalm : 

"F  liave   laid  help  upon  one  that  is   Mighty — 
I    liave  exalted   one   chosen   out   of   the  people," 

together  with  the  words  from  the  Gospel : 

"^'e  did  not  choose  me.  hut  I  chose  you  and  ordainet! 
vuu,  tliat  yc  shuuld  yo  and  bear  fruit  and  that  your  fruit 
should  abide." 

The  opening  and  clcjsing  words  of  the  sermon 
which  followed  made  the  deepest  impressifjn  upon 
Miiir  and  remained  in  his  mind. 

'■  1  he  doctrine  of  Election  is  aiitu  unced  by  these  w<ird->. 
1  his  doctrine  runs  through  all  Uu-  itage*  uf  Scripture 
like  a  thread  of  gold. 

"From  the  days  of  Abraham  down  to  the  present  time 
we  observe  in  every  age  a  line  of  chosen  men ;  first  a  man, 
then  a  family,  then  a  nation,  then  upon  the  stalk  of  that 
nation  there  blossomed  one  perfect  flower— the  Elect-Race- 
.Man  in  v.hum  all  nati^^ns  of  the  earth  shall  be  blessed. 
In  both  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  the  Elect  of  God 
were  elected  to  serve. 

"The  Elect  are  not  elected  for  their  own  sakes,  but  for 
the  sake  of  the  Non- Fleet,  and  the  only  evidence  that  they 
are  elected  is  produced  tiy  their  !,eekui>,'  in  save  the  N'on- 
Elect 


I  f 


42     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

"As  Frecmantle  has  affirmed  in  'The  World  the  Subject 
of  Redemption,'  the  principle  of  election  is  always  appar- 
ent. By  this  is  not  meant  an  arbitrary  selection  of  indi- 
viduals or  of  nations  to  be  made  happy  or  good,  while  the 
rest  are  excluded;  but  their  call  to  preeminent  service, 
often  to  preeminent  suffering,  with  a  view  to  the  final 
inclusion  of  the  rest." 

And  then  Moderator  Henderson  concluded  his 
sermon  with  these  words : 

"All  life  Js  mediatorial— all  life  is  vicarious — from  end 
to  end  in  saving  our  own  souls,  we  are  working  for  others' 
salvation. 

"When  the  enemy  comes  in  like  a  flood  and  wiien  evil 
presses  us  sore,  is  this  not  en.ough  to  nerve  us  to  nobler 
efforts? 

"For  my  brethren's  sake,  I  will  stand  firm;  for  them  I 
will  hold  the  fort;  for  them  I  will  seal  the  covenant- 
aye,  if  need  be  crimson,  with  my  blood." 

Such  was  the  general  argument  of  his  discourse. 
At  the  close  of  the  sermon  the  Moderator 
slowly  descended  the  pulpit  steps,  and  taking  his 
place  behind  the  Communion  Table  announced  : 

"Mr.  James  Muir,  your  minister  elect,  having  sustained 
his  Ordination  Trials  this  day  before  the  Presbytery  of 
Safford,  will  now  take  upon  him  the  solemn  vows  of  his 
Holy  Office  as  a  Minister  of  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church." 

At  these  words,  Muir  rose  and,  advancing  to- 
wards the  Communion  Table,  stood  facing  the 


"Vc  Gates,  Lift  up  Your  Heads"    43 

Moderator  and  in  front  of  the  vast  congrega- 
ti-n. 

He  was  of  athletic  build,  almost  six  feet  in 
height,  and  proportionately  broad  across  the 
shoulders,  his  head,  which  was  unusually  large, 
was  coverefl  with  an  abundance  of  hair  and  as 
the  setting  sun  streamed  in  through  the  western 
window  and  shone  upon  it,  it  looked  like  beaten 
gold. 

Addressing  him.  the  Moderator  propounded 
the  usual  questions,  concluding  with  : 

"Do  you  engage  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  to  live  a  holy  and  circumspect  life,  and  faithfully 
and  diligently  to  discharge  all  the  duties  of  the  Mini, try 
to  the  edification  of  the  body  of  Christ?"' 

Muir  having  made  satisfactory  response,  the 
Moderator,  turning  to  the  Congregation,  said : 

"If  any  peison  has  objections  to  ofTer  against  the  life 
or  doctrine  of  James  Muir  let  him  appear  bcfor  •  ihe 
PresbytTy  now  in  session  and  lodge  certification  thereof 
with  proof." ' 

No  word  of  objection  having  been  offered, 
Muir  knelt  down,  the  members  of  Presbytery 
encircled  him,  and  placing  their  hands  upon  his 
head,  he  was  solemnly  ordained  by  the  laying  on 
of  the  hands  of  the  Presbytery  and  the  following 
'  "Rules  and  Forms  of  Procedure.  ' 


i'1 


:•! 


'! 


■  ■  f 


•'•'If 


n 


ni 


44     The  World,  the    Imrch  and  the  Devil 

prayer  which  was  offered  by  the  Venerable  Prin- 
cipal of  the  College  in  Mere  des  Vilies — the  Rev- 
erend Donald  Maclvor: 

"O  Lord  God  Almighty  whose  name  is  holy,  we  thank 
thee  for  the  unspeakable  gift  of  thy  Son  Jesus  Christ  and 
for  the  word  of  truth  by  which  he  has  been  revealed  to 
us  as  the  Savior. 

"We  bless  thee  for  Thy  love  to  the  Church.  Thou 
hast  been  her  strength  in  weakness,  her  light  in  darkness, 
her  defense  in  the  day  of  ev^il,  and  the  source  of  her 
patience,  faith  and  triumph  in  all  ages. 

"With  the  laying  on  of  the  hand  of  the  Presbytery 
do  thou  endue  th  servant  with  the  gifts  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  fill  him  with  the  wisdom  and  patience,  the  love  and 
gentleness  of  Christ,  and  may  the  blessing  of  those  who 
are  ready  to  perish  fill  his  soul  with  joy." ' 

As  James  Muir  rose  up  from  his  knees  the 
Moderator  of  Presbytery  gave  him  the  right 
hand  of  fellowship,  saying: 

"In  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  only  King 
and  Head  of  the  Church,  and  by  the  authority  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Safford,  I  invite  you  to  take  part  of  this 
Ministry  with  us,  induct  you  to  the  pastoral  charge  of 
this  congregation,  and  admit  you  to  all  the  rights  and 
privileges  thereto  pertaining.'' ' 

*  Prayer  from  "Presbyterian  Forms  of  Service."  Issued 
by  the  Devotional  Service  Association  in  connection  with 
the  United  Presbyterian  Church.  Edinburgh:  MacNtven 
and  Wallace,  1899. 

'  "Rules  and  Forms  of  Procedure." 


:i  ! 


"Ye  Gates,  Lift  up  Your  Heads"    45 

After  the  other  members  of  Presbytery  had 
also  given  Muir  the  right  hand  of  fellowship  the 
Congregation  was  dismissed  with  the  doxology 
and  benediction,  and  as  they  passed  out  each 
member  was  presented  to  the  new  minister,  who 
stood  at  the  door  of  the  Church. 


•mm'^msf 


ft 

11 


CHAPTER  V 
MAPLETON  FIRESIDES 


11 


MR.  JOHN  MACGREGORS 

AFTER  the  Ordination  service  the  various 
members  of  Presbytery,  who  had  not  left 
Mapleton  by  the  evening  train  were  entertained 
in  the  hospitable  homes  for  which  that  city  was 

noted. 

James  Muir,  now  the  Reverend  James  Muir, 
had  been  invited  by  the  Senior  Elder  of  St.  Giles, 
Mr.  John  MacGregor,  to  dine  with  him  at  Sunny- 
brae.  The  fact  was,  old  John  already  had,  as  his 
guest,  the  Reverend  Principal  Maclvor.  and  being 
a  man  of  few  words,  he  rather  dreaded  the  enter- 
taining of  this  distinguished  clergyman  alone. 

It  had  occurred  to  him  that  Muir  might  help 
to  make  the  evening  pass,  and  then  deep  down  in 
his  heart  there  was  still  another  reason. 


>H 


Mapleton  firesides 


47 


With  his  proverbial  Scotch  caution  he  coveted 
the  opportunity  of  studying  Muir. 

At  luncheon  that  day,  the  Reverend  Principal 
Maclvor,  with  his  usual  forethought  for  the  com- 
fort of  his  students,  had  remarked  that  "Muir 
was  a  fine  young  man,  that  he  had  been  brought 
up  in  an  old  Scotch  Manse,  and  that  it  was  to 
be  hoped  that  inasmuch  as  he  was  not  so  fortu- 
nate yet  as  to  be  married,  he  might  be  invited  to 
make  his  home  with  some  private  family,  where 
he  would  have  the  necessary  quiet  and  seclusion 
to  prepare  his  sermons." 

This  remark  proved  to  be  a  "word  in  season" ; 
it  found  lodgment  in  Mrs.  MacGregor's  big  heart 
and  started  her  thinking.  So  it  had  happened 
that,  after  luncheon,  taking  her  husband  aside,  she 
remarked  to  him,  "we  micht  ask  the  new  Meenis- 
ter  ta  stay  wi'  us,  John. — An'  sure  oor  house  is 
big  eneuch  an'  sairly  empty  syne  oor  ain  bairns 
hae  flitted  ta  hames  o'  their  ain,  an'  it's  jist  lone- 
some eneuch  ta  see  a'  thae  rooms  shut  up." 

To  this  her  husband  had  replied,  "Too  bad  that 
Agnes  mairrit  that  ne'er-da-weel.  Jack  Brewster. 
She  was  aye  a'  bonnie  lass  an'  he's  a  guid  for 
naething — but  she  wud  hae  him  an'  he's  drinking 
again  worse  than  iver  an'  John's  wife  will  aye 
keep  him  poor,  am  thinkin,  she's  so  extravagant, 


^.  ^'^:j^^1 


^i 


il 


48     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

wi*  a'  her  new-fangled  notions." 

'That's  a  fac',"  said  his  wife,  with  a  strong 
Scotch  accent,  "but  Am  jist  thinkin'  that  Mr. 
Muir  Willi  be  takin'  Brewster  in  hand  an'  may  be 
Jack  micht  stap  his  drinkin'  yet.  A've  often 
prayed  to  God  for  him  an'  las'  nicht  A'  got  a 
verse  that  seemed  like  an  answer  frae  Heaven. 
Gin  we  had  the  Meenister  stayin'  wi'  us,  he  wud 
get  ta  ken  Jack  in  a  freendly  way — no  jist  i'  tha 
way  o'  pastoral  formalities,  an'  he  micht  hae  a 
better  chance  to  influence  him." 

"VVeel,  A '11  bring  him  hame  tha  nicht  for  din- 
ner," answered  John,  'an'  we'll  see  what  kind  o' 
a  man  he  is  oot  o'  tha  pulpit,  an'  afterwards  if 
yer  o'  the  same  way  o'  thinkin',  A'U  no  say  that 
yer  not  ta  gie  him  the  spare  room  wi'  tha  wee 
room  across  the  hall  for  a  study." 

After  the  dinner  had  been  served,  John  Mac- 
Gregor  led  the  young  minister  into  the  library, 
his  wife  coming  in  a  few  moments  later  with 
the  Principal,  who  had  remained  to  admire  a 
massive  clock  that  stood  on  the  mantel.  This 
clock  was  patterned  in  heavy  bronze  after  the 
architectural  lines  of  the  lower  of  Westminster 
Abbey,  and  had  chimes  whose  mellow  sound  re- 
minded one  of  the  tones  that  daily  peal  from  its 
bells  and  fall  like  benediction  on  the  people  who 


Mapletoii  Firesides 


49 


traverse  the  streets  below. 

"Ye  ken  John's  brithcr  was  laid  away  there," 
said  Mrs.  Macdregor  to  the  Principal. 

"A  great  man  of  (Jod."  answered  the  Prin- 
cipal, "and  a  dauntless  explorer  whose  labors 
added  one  million  square  miles  to  the  known 
world.  I  suppose  you  have  some  of  his  personal 
belongings." 

"Oo,  aye,"  replied  Mrs.  MacGregor,  "his  sister 
sent  John  the  brown  great  coat  that  he  wore  on 
his  last  journey  in  Africa.  A'll  tell  Mary  ta  bring 
it  inta  tha  library." 

"I  wish  you  would,"  said  the  Principal :  "it 
would,  indeed,  be  a  very  great  privilege  to  see  it." 

"Oh,  ye  can  pit  it  on,"  said  Mrs.  MacGregor, 
adding,  "it's  big  an'  roomy." 

Soon  after  they  entered  the  library,  the  maid 
came  in,  carrying  over  her  arm  the  brown  great 
coat  which  had  belonged  to  David  MacGregor, 
and  handed  it  to  the  Principal.  Thrusting  his 
arms  through  the  sleeves,  he  said,  with  a  tone  of 
reverence  in  his  voice : 

"To  think  that  these  sleeves  once  covered  the 
arms  of  him  who  struck  the  shackles  from  the 
slaves,"  and  then  buttoning  the  coat  about  his 
chest,  he  added,  "and  this  very  coat  covered  the 
bravest  heart   that   Scotland   ever  gave  to  the 


WT'^W 


-^7Sff»i- 


-'^;   '"^  »■  '^^^'"^''^^-^ 


SO    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


m 


world.     Have  you  any  of  his  letters?" 

"Oo,  aye — John  has  mony  o'  them,"  then  ad- 
dressing herself  to  her  husband,  she  said,  "John 
wull  ye  no  let  tha  Principal  see  some  o'  David's 
letters?" 

Opening  the  great  steel  safe,  which  was  built 
into  the  wall  of  the  library,  John  MacGregor 
brought  out  a  packet  of  letters  and  selecting  one 
which  David  had  written  to  his  grand-nephew, 
Robert,  who  was  but  a  child  of  eleven  at  that 
time,  he  said,  "If  A'  had  ma  specs  A'  wud  read  it 
ta  ye.  Principal  Maclvor." 

"Never  mind  your  spectacles,  Mr.  MacGregor," 
replied  the  Principal.  "Mr.  Muir  has  good  eyes; 
let  him  read  the  letter  aloud,"  and  as  they  all  sat 
down  around  the  fireplace,  Muir  read  as  follows : 


B ANGOLA   Valley. 
My   dear   Robert: 

I  was  very  much  pleased  to  receive  your  letter  which 
was  so  neatly  written  and  correctly  spelled,  and  I  have 
observed  with  great  satisfaction  that  you  are  making  good 
progress  in  your  studies.  You  have  asked  me  if  there  are 
many  wild  beasts  in  this  country,  and  I  may  tell  you  that 
there  are  very,  very  many.  Some  days  ago  as  we  worked 
our  way  through  this  long  valley,  we  saw  great  herds  of 
them,  but  the  men  found  it  very  difficult  to  shoot  them, 
for  these  herds  of  cattle  were  always  accompanied  by 
flocks  of  birds,  which  concealed  themselves  in  the  long, 
coarse,  grass  where  the  animals  were  feeding,  and  wheri' 


Maplcton  Firesides 


51 


ever  a  hunter  came  near  they  rose  up  in  flocks  and,  flying 
swiftly  across  the  herd  of  cattle,  uttered  a  screeching 
noise.  This  alarmed  the  beasts  and  they  immediately 
made  off  as  fast  as  their  legs  could  carry  them.  The 
natives  call  these  birds  "guardian  birds,"  because  they 
warn  the  wild  animals  of  danger.  And  this  reminds  me 
that  little  boys  and  girls  have  their  "guardian  birds," 
too,  little  voices  which  warn  them  not  to  do  anything 
that  is  wrong.  Always  be  warned,  Robert,  by  that  little 
voice  that  sounds  within  you  and  you  will  grow  up  to  be 
a  brave  and  true  man. 

Your   affectionate   uncle, 

D.wiD  MacGregor. 


"Conscience,"  said  the  Principal,  "that  'incor- 
ruptible warrior'  ^  which  God  has  placed  like  a 
sentinel  beside  the  door  of  every  human  heart,  to 
proclaim  Heaven's  law  to  the  soul." 

"Aye,  aye,"  answered  old  John,  and  then  fall- 
ing into  a  reminiscent  mood,  he  added,  "ye  ken 
after  David  was  laid  away  in  Westminster  Abbey 
A'  gaed  ower  and  A'  was  standin'  yin  day  lookin' 
at  his  grave,  when  a  company  o'  American  tour- 
ists came  up  an'  they  ask  it  tha  verger  mony  ques- 
tions aboot  David.  He  was  an  intelligent  body 
an'  telt  them  maistly  a'  they  wanted  ta  ken,  but 
at  last  they  askit  him  a  question  that  he  cudna 
answer.     He  just  said  that  he  didna  ken.     A' 

*  Expression  used  by  George  Douglas,  D.D.,  "Discourses 
and  Addresses."    William  Briggs,  Toronto. 


52     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


m 


m 


li,* 


was  standin'  there  an'  A'  cud  hae  telt  them,  but 
they  didtia  ken  that  A'  was  his  brither  an'  A' 
wasna  sayin'  onything." 

"What  a  pity  that  they  did  not  know  they  were 
standing  so  near  to  David's  elder  brother!  Of 
course,  they  \  ere  not  expecting  to  see  him  there," 
said  Muir.  After  a  moment's  pause  he  added, 
lowering  his  voice  with  deep  solemnity,  "We  all 
have  an  elder  brother  and  He  is  not  far  from  any 
one  of  us." 

They  sat  in  silence  for  some  time,  before  the 
fire,  while  the  logs  burned  low.  That  night  old 
John  MacGregor  said  to  his  wife,  "Am  thinkin' 
ye  better  say  ta  tha  Meenister  that  he  can  hae 
the  spare  room  an'  that  we'll  be  gled  ta  hae  him 
make  his  sermons  in  the  wee  room  across  the 
hall." 


fc 


*i 


n 


\V.    G.    HALES 


The  Reverend  Alexander  Henderson,  Mod- 
erator of  the  Presbytery  of  Safford,  at  the  close 
oi  the  Ordination  Service  had  walked  home 
arm  in  arm  with  W.  G.  Hale,  a  well-known  citizen 
oi  Mapletdn.     .\lthough  they  were  both  men  up- 


Mapleton  firesides 


53 


wards  of  sixty  years  of  age.  their  erect  bearing 
and  energetic  strides  gave  them  the  appearance 
of  being  much  younger  men. 

The  friendship  that  existed  between  them  had 
continued  throughout  all  the  changes  of  these 
many  years,  in  fact,  from  the  days  of  their  boy- 
hood, when  they  had  together  attended  the  Parish 
School  of  Glen  Athol  in  Scotland,  and  it  was 
owing  to  this  circumstance  that  Hale,  who  some 
time  previously  had  given  up  his  pew  in  St.  Giles, 
had  been  present  that  afternoon,  at  the  Ordina- 
tion Service. 

Among  the  business  men  of  Mapleton,  Hale 
was  regarded  as  a  man  of  keen  intelligence,  a  man 
whose  word  was  as  good  as  his  bond,  and  more 
than  one  political  orator  had  met  his  Waterloo 
under  the  fire  of  his  forceful  logic. 

The  women  of  St.  Giles  were  somewhat  divided 
in  their  opinions  regarding  this  man ;  by  the  more 
charitable  among  them,  he  was  regarded  as  a 
man  who  had  become  most  unfortunately  unset- 
tled in  his  religious  views,  while  some  others  went 
so  far  as  to  say  that  he  was  a  most  dangerous 
skeptic. 

Whatever  deviations  from  the  strict  path  of 
orthodoxy  might  characterize  his  present  mental 
attitude,  there  was  no  doubting  the  fact  that  as 


54     '^h^  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


1 


t! 

■  X 

I  ;i 

I 

I 

•  .} 

iii 
i 


Mil 

^■4 


r 


a  boy  in  the  Parish  School  of  Glen  Athol,  he  had 
been  thoroughly  grounded  in  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures and  the  Shorter  Catechism,  by  old  Doctor 
Leather,  the  Parish  School  Master. 

Ephraim  Leather,  for  such  was  his  name,  had 
occupied  the  dual  office  in  the  Parish  of  Glen 
Athol  of  Parish  School  Master  and  Clerk  of  Ses- 
sion in  the  Kirk  and  he  was  strong  in  the  The- 
ology of  the  times  succeeding  the  Reformation. 
Holding  in  common  with  all  Presbyterians  of 
that  age  that  the  word  of  God  which  is  contained 
in  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament, 
is  the  only  rule  to  direct  us  how  we  may  glorify 
and  enjoy  God,  this  Doctor  Ephraim  Leather  had 
almost  worshiped  the  literal  words  of  the  Bible  in 
the  English  version  and  he  insisted  that  the  sacred 
writers  of  the  Bible  were  the  passive  instruments, 
the  amanuenses  of  the  Divine  Spirit  and  were 
used  by  the  Divine  Spirit  like  a  harp  or  lyre,  from 
which  the  plectrum  elicits  whatever  tones  it  will. 
Thus,  these  writers  being  the  passive  instruments 
of  the  Divine  Spirit,  he  held  that  every  word  in 
the  Bible  was  stamped  with  the  seal  of  infallibil- 
ity. Nor  did  he  make  any  allowance  for  possible 
errors  which  might  have  crept  in  through  the 
work  of  translators.  Vain  of  his  Latui,  he  used  to 
sum  up  his  position  with  great  gusto  in  these 


i''V^--r"~   »R«J.' 


Jf^.'^-^ 


Mapleton  Firesides 


55 


words:  "Impulsus  ad  scribendum,"  "Sugges- 
tio  rerum,'  "Suggestio  verborum."  Ephraim 
Leather  had  accepted  the  doctrine  of  the  verbal 
inspiration  of  the  Scriptures  and  so  he  had  taught 
in  the  Parish  School  of  Glen  Athol. 

It  had  been  his  invariable  custom  to  commence 
the  school  exercises  every  morning  by  the  sing- 
ing of  a  psalm,  the  repetition  in  concert  of  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  and  the  reading  of  a  chapter  from 
the  Word,  followed  by  such  expository  remarks 
as  the  old  Domsie  felt  moved  to  offer. 

For  many  years  after  he  had  gone  to  his  re- 
ward, the  story  was  whispered  in  the  Glen,  of 
how  William  Hale's  boy,  who  was  regarded  as 
having  been  as  full  of  mischief  as  an  tgg  is  full 
of  meat,  had  on  one  occasion  neatly  pasted  to- 
gether two  pages  in  the  Bible  that  always  lay  on 
the  old  School  Master's  desk,  and  how  one  morn- 
ing the  old  Domsie,  not  being  aware  of  the  trick 
that  had  been  perpetrated  upon  him,  soberly  read 
from  the  Book  of  Genesis,  "and  Noah's  wife  was 
(turning  over  the  page)  three  hundred  cubits 
long,  fifty  cubits  broad  and  thirty  cubits  deep  and 
pitched  within  and  without  with  pitch."  It  seemed 
to  him  as  he  read  these  words  that  surely  some- 
thing must  be  wrong,  and  carefully  adjusting 
his  spectacles,  he  turned  the  page  back  and  read 


V-  1 


!  ■# 


56     77;t'  U'orld.  the  Church  and  the  Deoil 

the  words  over  a^aiii.     W'lifreupon.  in  the  en 
thusiastn  of  his  literalism,  he  exclaimed  aloud, 
"A'  never  saw  it  that  way  before,  bnt  it  nion  he  a 
fac',  for  it's  in  the  Piook."  ^ 

(>n  the  nipht  of  the  Ordination,  after  the  other 
members  of  the  Hale  household  had  retired.  Hale 
and  his  {jfuest  sat  lonp;  in  front  of  the  glowinjj 
fire,  indulging  in  hai^pv  reminiscences  of  their 
boyhood. 

"Von  remember  old  ICphraim  leather!"  said 
Henderson. 

"Remember  him,  I'll  never  forget  the  old 
martinet  and  the  inhuman  beating  he  gave  me 
when  I  failed  to  answer  the  f|uestion,  'What  is 
the  misery  f)f  that  estate  wbereinto  man  fell?'" 

"All  mankind,  by  their  fall,  lost  commimion 
with  God.  are  under  his  wrath  and  curse,  and  so 
made  liable  to  all  the  miseries  of  this  life,  to  death 
itself  and  to  the  pains  of  hell  forever."  slowly 
repeated  Henderson. 

"That's  it."  exclaimed  Hale,  "but  who  believes 
a  word  of  it  nowadays?  To  think  that  men,  no 
matter  how  decent  they  are.  are  irrevocably 
doomed  to  all  the  miseries  of  this  life,  and  to  the 
pains  of  hell  forever,  and  all  because  of  the  fact 
that  one  man  centuries  upon  centuries  ago  ate 
the  forbidden  fruit.    Small  wonder  that,  as  a  boy, 


Mapleton  Firesides 


57 


I  could  iK)t  say  it.  I  have  nc'ver  been  able  to 
say  it  and  it  I  iK-licved  fcr  a  moment  that  it  was 
inic.  I  would  hate  (lod,  "  and  then  the  old  hard- 
headed  Scot  addtd  beneaih  his  l)reath,  "the  pt^ins 
of  hell  forever!  I  would  not  throw  a  dop  into 
such  a  place, '  an'.l  raising  his  voice,  he  continued, 
"yet  this  and  more  like  it  is  still  the  accepted  doc- 
t'-ine  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  It  is  in  their 
confe.-.sion  of  faith,  to  which  you  made  Mnii 
swear  allegiance  thi:  afternoon.  H'asphemy! 
blasphemy!  Henderson.  I  do  n«'t  understand  how 
you  men  can  stand  for  such  medieval  chc^lasti- 
cism.  Xo  thinking  man,  nowadays,  really  iiclieves 
in  all  this  s'^venteenfh  century  stuff,  it's  higii 
time  that  the  old  and  anticpiated  ct)nfession  v.as 
modernized  and  that  the  accredited  results  of 
modern  Biblical  scholarship  were  plainly  sel 
forth  by  the  standard  of  the  Church  of  our  fath 
ers.  Vou  ministers  all  take  these  vows,  but  how 
many  of  you  ever  intend  to  fulfd  them?  What 
a  piece  of  i)lay-acting  for  you  as  Moderator  of 
Pre.sbytery  to  a.sk  young  Muir  to-day.  'On  vou 
believe  the  Westminster  Confession  of  Faith  as 
adopted  by  the  Church  in  the  basi-  ♦  union  ti» 
be  founded  on  and  agreeable  to  the  \ .  onl  of  Cod. 
and  in  your  teaching  will  you  faithfully  adhere 
thereto?'     ( )f  course  he  cannot  preach  th's  stuff; 


r 
I- 


1! 


58     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


I  :•; 


I  k 


H 


you  yourself  didn't  do  it  to-day  in  your  admirable 
sermon  on  the  Doctrine  of  Election.  You  said 
that  the  Elect  were  elected  for  the  sake  of  the 
Non-Elect — elected  to  service — that's  just  what  I 
believe — great  men,  men  who  were  gifted  of 
heaven  far  above  their  fellows,  men  like  Gari- 
baldi and  Abraham  Lincoln,  men  who  by  the 
might  of  their  gianthood  effected  the  liberties  of 
nations.  That  is  the  kind  of  election  which  I 
believe  in,  and  that  is  what  you  preached  to-day, 
but  that  is  a  very  different  statement  of  this  doc- 
trine from  that  which  is  given  in  the  standards 
of  the  church  which  says  that,  'God  having  out  of 
His  mere  good  pleasure  from  all  eternity  elected 
some  to  everlasting  life  did  enter  into  a  covenant 
of  grace  with  them  to  deliver  them  out  of  the 
estate  of  s"n  and  misery  and  to  bring  them  into 
an  estate  of  salvation  by  a  Redeemer,'  *  and  'the 
rest  of  mankind  God  was  pleased  according  to 
the  unsearchable  counsel  of  His  own  will,  where- 
by he  extendeth  or  withholdeth  mercy  as  he  pleas- 
eth,  for  the  glory  of  his  sovereign  power  over 
his  creatures  to  pass  by  and  to  ordain  them  to 
dishonor  and  wrath  for  their  sin  to  the  praise 
of  his  glorious  justice.' 


"'Confession   of    Faith,"    Chapter   III,   "God's    Eternal 
Decree,"  Article  VII. 


Mapleton  Firesides 


59 


"So  far  as  I  can  see,  you  cannot  find  anything 
in  these  words  from  the  confession  to  justify 
your  interpretation  of  election  for  service,  elec- 
tion for  the  sake  of  the  Non-Elect.  They  are  by 
the  foreordination  of  God  elected  to  be  saved  or 
elected  to  be  damned  and  this  for  the  glory  of 
His  justice.  Why  doesn't  the  church  revise  it? 
It's  as  harsh  as  the  Athanasian  Creed  of  the 
Church  of  England  with  all  its  damnatory 
clauses." 

"I  agree  vith  you,  Hale,  that  there  is  room  in 
these  standi.i  Js  of  our  church  for  revision. 

"At  the  same  time  I  hink  that  you  have  stated 
your  case  rather  strongly  and  I  am  not  sure  that 
you  yourself,  with  all  your  ability  in  criticism, 
would  be  able  to  draw  up  a  statement  of  the  great 
doctrines  taught  in  the  Bible,  which  would  be  open 
to  less  objection.  All  things  made  by  man  are 
more  or  less  characterized  by  imperfection,  and 
at  best  we  all  must  admit  that  we  can  only  here 
on  earth  know  in  part  and  see,  as  it  were,  through 
a  glass  darkly.  As  for  the  Athanasian  Creed,  a 
man  of  your  wide  information  ought  to  know 
that  it  has  already  been  excluded  from  the  offices 
of  the  American  Book  of  Common  Prayer  of  the 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States,  and  I 
think  the  time  is  drawing  near  even  in  Canada 


6o     The  World ,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


when  those  of  us  who  are  livinj^  will  witness  f?freat 
changes  in  present  church  organization  and  also 
some  modifications  in  church  dcKtrines.  The  ap- 
plication of  scientific  methods  to  the  study  of  the 
l?ible  by  our  Theological  Professors  is  exerting 
a  wonderful  influence  throughout  the  various 
l*'vangelical  churches  of  to-day,  and  it  would  not 
surprise  me,  were  we,  l)ef<ire  many  years  more 
have  passed  by,  to  sec  all  these  separate  denom- 
inational colleges  (if  the  churches  federated  and 
the  organic  union  of  the  churches  would  sjieedily 
follow.  When  that  day  shall  have  come,  men  will 
see  the  new  church — the  United  Church  of  Can- 
ada— rise  up  in  its  glory  and  casting  aside  the 
cerements  of  mummified  creeds  and  clothing 
herself  in  fresh  garments  of  light  and  love,  go 
forth  in  the  morning  of  a  new  era,  fair  as  the 
moon,  clear  as  the  sun  and  terrible  as  an  army 
with  banners." 

"I  devoutly  hope  that  day  may  be  hastened." 
exclaimed  Hale,  and  as  he  uttered  the  last  word, 
the  clock  in  the  tower  of  St.  Giles  struck  twelve 
and  a  new  day  had  been  proclaimed. 


Maple  ton  Firesides 


6i 


III 


PEMBERTON,    UV    I'KMUERTON    VILLA 


Mrs.  Junius  P.  C.  Pemljerton,  of  Pemberton 
Villa,  was  widely  known  as  the  leader  of  the 
smart  set  in  Mapleton.  Xoi  that  this  distinc- 
tion (juite  satisfied  her  social  aspirations,  for 
her  insatiable  ambition  had  often  whispered 
in  her  ear  that,  had  her  lot  been  cast  among 
the  high  and  mighty  of  the  Capital  she  would 
have  been  the  bright  and  ruling  star  around  which 
all  other  notables  would  have  circled  like  satellites. 
''his  dream  she  now  knew  could  never  be  fulfilled. 
It  had  been  shattered  forever  on  the  day  in  which 
she  had  united  her  fortunes  in  wedlock  to  those 
of  Junius  P.  C.  Pemberton.  The  said  Junius  P. 
C.  Pemberton  was  a  man  whose  one  passion  had 
been  the  accumulation  of  wealth  and  in  this  he 
had  been  more  than  ordinarily  successful.  Seated 
in  the  oflfice  of  his  three-story  factory  one  day  in 
his  riper  years  he  had  related  with  pride  to  a 
newspaper  correspondent  the  story  of  how  he 
had  worked  his  way  up  by  his  own  unaided  in- 
dustry from  a  humble  beginning  in  a  little  one- 
roomed  shop  to  his  present  estate  of  wealth.    As 


-Rl 


\!  I    •■  ■"     '-. 


62     'J'he  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


I  >  ' 


he  recounted  this  personal  history  and  concluded 
his  autobiography  with  the  statement  that  he 
was  a  self-made  nr  n.  he  might  have  added,  per- 
haps, that  he  worshiped  his  Maker;  so  the  news- 
paper correspondent  had  thought,  but  when  the 
following  week  a  full  half-page  in  the  Daily  Ex- 
press was  devoted  to  the  story  of  one  of  Canada's 
most  successful  manufacturers,  in  the  center  of 
which  write-up  appeared  the  face  of  Junius  P. 
C.  Pemberton,  tlic  e  was  no  reference  made,  how- 
ever, to  his  probable  self -idolatry.  A  certain 
cynic  had  remarked,  as  he  had  read  this  article, 
"Successful  earwig,  1  should  say,"  and  then 
added,  "Sure  old  Junius  P.  C.  might  have  the 
horse  sense  to  see  that  they  are  after  his  wad  for 
campaign  funds," 

While  the  said  Junius  was  not  without  self- 
worship,  it  can  be  truly  affirmed  of  him  that  his 
greatest  source  of  satisfaction  was  derived  from 
the  social  triumphs  of  his  wife.  She  was  a  tall 
and  graceful  woman  and  had,  prior  to  her  mar- 
riage with  Junius  P.  C.  Pemberton,  been  the  belle 
of  St.  Anthony.  Gerald  Thornton,  a  young  and 
struggling  lawyer  of  that  town,  had  completely 
lost  his  heart  to  her,  but  his  suit  though  ardently 
pursued  had  proved  unavailing,  for  while  she  had 
a  certain  liking  and  admiration  for  him,  yet  he 


Km 


m 


^;z^.  ^mi^td^  W,:-4: 


Mapleton  Firesides 


63 


• 


was  poor  and  her  mother  zealously  advanced  the 
suit  of  old  Junius  P.  C,  who  was  old  enough  to 
l)e  her  father.  To  the  surprise  of  the  dames  of 
St.  Anthony  and  of  Mapleton  the  I'emberton- 
Campbell  iiuptials  had  l>ecn  announced  and  Nan 
Campbell  became  Mrs.  Junius  \\  C.  Pemberton, 
of  Pemberton  Villa. 

It  was  not  a  love  match,  yet  all  the  parties 
most  interested  seemed  to  Ije  well  satisfied.  Old 
Junius  himself,  because  of  his  young  wife's  social 
successes;  her  mother  because  she  had  success- 
fully accomplished  her  ambiti(jn  to  marry  Nan 
to  wealth,  and  Nan  too  was  fairly  well  content, 
for  if  not  in  the  Capital,  at  least  in  her  own  little 
world,  she  was  now  the  representative  woman  of 
wealth  and  social  preeminence. 

Her  contentment,  be  it  said,  had  not  l)een  (|uite 
so  constant  during  the  past  year,  for  at  the  last 
General  Election,  her  rejected  suitor,  whom  she 
had  never  (juite  forgotten,  had  been  elected  to 
Parliament,  where  he,  (ierald  Thornton,  was  in- 
creasingly winning  name  and  fame,  indeed,  he 
was  generally  regarded  as  the  coming  leader  of 
the  House. 

About  a  month  after  Muir's  Ordination,  an 
afternoon  tea  and  reception  was  given  by  Mrs. 
Junius  P.   C.    Pemberton.  of   Pemberton  \'illa. 


64     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


!?     ! 


in  honor  of  the  return  home  of  her  daughter, 
Vernera,  who  had  been  spending  the  past  winter 
in  New  York  City,  pursuing  musical  studies  and 
incidentally  helping  her  father  to  get  rid  of  some 
of  his  surplus  cash. 

Petite  in  appearance,  Vernera  was  nevertheless 
possessed  of  a  certain  piquant  vivacity,  which  was 
not  without  attractiveness. 

"Oh,  yes,  Vernera's  home  again!"  said  her 
mother  to  Judith  Kinzie,  "and  I'm  so  glad— the 
house  was  as  silent  as  a  tomb  when  she  was 
away  and  the  piano  was  never  opened,  but  she  had 
not  been  home  half  an  hour  when  all  this  was 
changed  and  she  was  warbling  Jakobowski's  Lul- 
laby. She  is  utterly  devoted  to  music,  you  know, 
and  has  been  singing  in  the  choir  of  the  Church  of 
the  Minor  Prophets.  The  Rector,  Reverend  Doc- 
tor Gullem,  wrote  me  last  week  that  he  simply 
adored  Vernera  and  could  not  possibly  get  along 
next  season  without  her,  for  he  is  planning  to 
have  the  Butterfly  Guild,  as  he  aflfectionately 
terms  his  choir  girls,  produce  a  light  opera  in  the 
Parish  House  next  autumn  in  aid  of  the  mission 
to  the  lepers." 

"Doctor  Gullem,"  exclaimed  Judith  Kinzie, 
"what  an  interesting  name  for  a  clerg)'man — but 
he  surely  must  be  a  very  different  type  of  man 


Mapleton  Firesides 


65 


from  the  new  minister  of  St.  Giles;  Mrs.  Mac- 
Gregor  was  telling  mother  that  Mr.  Muir  held 
that  all  missionary  money  ought  to  be  subscribed 
by  voluntary  contributions  and  that  unless  people 
really  felt  that  ihey  were  making  a  personal  sac- 
rifice there  was  no  possible  reflex  blessing." 

Just  then  Vernera  came  tripping  across  the 
drawing  room,  radiant  with  smiles,  and  catching 
the  last  word,  "blessing,"  teasingly  said,  "Now 
Judith,  you  must  not  begin  to  preach,  Doctor  Gull- 
em  is  just  a  darling  and  the  Church  of  the  Minor 
Prophets  is  so  liberal  and  up-to-date,  but  do  tell 
me  about  the  new  minister;  I  hear  he  is  both 
young  and  good  looking  and  a  perfect  orator  in 
the  pulpit;  I  think  I'll  have  to  join  the  choir." 

"I  guess  we'll  all  be  roped  into  the  'Ladies' 
Mission  Study  Class,'  "  exclaimed  lulith  Carpen- 
ter. "Mr.  Muir  announced  last  Sunday  that  he 
would  meet  the  ladies  of  the  church  in  Mrs.  Mac- 
Gregor's  drawing  room  on  Friday,  to  organize." 

"Well,  I  never,"  exclaimed  Vernera  Pember- 
ton.  "Mission  Study  Classes — sewing  circles — 
and  prayer  meetings  would  actually  drive  me  to 
drink." 

"Now,  Vernera,  you  must  not  speak  that  way," 
cautioned  her  mother.  "Mr.  Muir  is  said  to  be 
a  delightful  man,  and  so  enthusiastic  in  his  efforts. 


66     The  World,  the  Chureh  and  the  Devil 


I  ^■' 


that  I  rather  think  we'll  all  have  to  reform  for 
the  future  and  l)e  Rood."  She  added,  turning 
to  the  girls,  "You  know  V'ernera  has  been  having 
such  a  giddy  time  in  New  York  and  her  head  had 
almost  been  turned,  so  much  in  demand,  and 
with   Dick   \'an   Konct  just " 

"Now,  mother,"  interrupted  Vernera. 

"Well,''  continued  her  mother,  "didn't  Dick 
drive  you  to  the  station  in  his  motor  car,  and  who 
was  it  ordered  those  gorgeous  roses  and  orchids 
for  the  stateroom?" 

Just  then  Jean  St.  Claire  entered  the  room. 
She  was  excjuisitely  g(nvned  in  black  velvet,  wear- 
ing a  dainty  hat  whose  soft  plumes  drooped  grace- 
fully down  over  her  wavy  brown  hair. 

"Why,  Jean,"  said  the  girls,  surrounding  her, 
"you  are  just  too  sweet  for  anything,  but  what 
has  kept  you  so  late  ?  We  were  afraid  that  you 
were  not  coming." 

"Oh,  I  called  in  to  see  old  Mrs.  Bruce  and 
simply  could  not  tear  myself  away,"  answered 
Jean.  "She  is  in  such  terrible  distress.  No,  I 
don't  think  that  David  can  possibly  get  better, 
and  his  mother  is  just  about  broken-hearted,  and 
she  informed  me  that  Mr.  Muir  had  been  so  kind 
and  that  she  was  just  sure  God  had  sent  him  to 
Mapleton  to  help  them  in  their  time  of  trouble." 


TF^v^ 


.■.i."-*'^-'-f3.. 


~>T5KPSi- 


Mapleton  Firesides 


^7 


"She  is  a  perfect  saint,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Pem- 
berton.  "I  certainly  must  send  her  some  flowers. 
I  suppose  they  lost  nearly  all  they  had  in  the  Dili- 
cum  barik  failure." 

"I  do  not  think  they  have  been  to  church  since," 
said  Edith  Carpenter. 

"Oh,  yes,  old  David  was  there  last  Sunday," 
broke  in  Judith  Kinzie,  "dressed  in  a  new  suit 
of  clothes — somebody  must  be  helping  them." 

"I  question  very  much  that  they  would  accept 
charity,"  said  Mrs.  Pemberton;  "they  are  so 
proud  that  I  cannot  think  who  would  venture  to 
offer  them  financial  help." 

"Perhaps  it's  the  new  minister,"  said  Jean  St. 
Claire. 

"Very  likely,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Pemberton.  "He 
seems  to  be  regarded  on  all  sides  as  the  good 
angel  of  Mapleton,"  then  turning  to  Jean  she 
smiled,  adding,  "I  suppose,  Jean,  that  you  are 
already  deep  into  church  work?" 

"Xo,  I'm  not,"  answered  Jean,  "but  Grand- 
mother is  urging  me  to  take  up  a  class  in  the 
Sunday  School  and  perhaps  I  shall  do  so.  You 
know  how  ardently  Grandmother's  sympathies 
always  are  on  the  side  of  church  work." 

"Indeed,  I  do,"  replied  Mrs.  Pemberton,  "Mrs. 
MacGregor  was  just  reciting  to  me  to-day  of  how 


if 


1 , 


i     * 

pi 


68     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

on  a  cold  New  Year's  Eve  when  the  band  boys 
came,  as  was  their  annual  custom,  to  serenade 
your  father,  who  happened  to  be  out  on  a  case 
that  night,  your  Grandmother  had  risen  and  gone 
out  with  her  iiands  full  of  tracts,  which  she  dis- 
tributed to  the  members  of  the  band,  saying,  'Sil- 
ver and  gold  have  I  none,  but  such  as  I  have 
give  I  unto  thee,"  and  Mrs.  MacGrejfor  said  that 
none  of  the  band  boys  had  resented  this  rather 
unexpected  turn  of  events,  for  they  all  respected 
Mrs.  St.  Claire's  deep  sincerity." 

Vemera  had  wandered  off  to  the  piano  during 
this  discussion  and  Edith  Carpenter  exclaimed, 
"Oh,  let  us  have  some  music."  "Yes,"  joined  all 
the  girls  in  unison,  "Vemera.  you  certainly  must 
sing  something." 


.1 


CHAPTER  VI 


INTO  A  FAR  COUNTRY 


SOME  twenty  years  previous  to  the  events  al- 
ready narrated,  David  Bruce,  with  his  wife  and 
two  sons,  had  been  living  at  Melbourne,  where 
David  followed  the  trade  of  a  cabinet  maker,  to 
which  he  had  served  his  apprenticeship  in  Scot- 
land, many  years  before. 

When  he  was  upwards  of  forty  years  of  age, 
he  had  loved  and  married  Janet  Main,  the  comely 
daughter  of  a  widow  who  had  migrated  to  West- 
ern Canada  from  England  with  the  purpose  of 
improving  the  fortunes  of  herself  and  family. 

The  adventurous  spirit  of  her  eldest  son,  Wil- 
liam, had  writhed  under  the  unprogressive  atmos- 
phere of  that  town,  and  one  night  he  suddenly 
announced  to  his  mother  that  he  was  going  to 
shake  its  dust  off  his  feet  and  go  to  New  Mexico. 
The  next  morning  he  was  gone.  At  that  time  but 
little  was  known  of  New  Mexico  in  Ontario,  save 
that  it  was  said  to  be  a  wild  and  godless  country, 

69 


70    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


and  as  the  stage  which  carried  William  Main 
from  Melhournc  to  Hamiltrm  disappeared  over 
the  hills,  the  hope  of  ever  seeing  her  son  again 
died  in  his  mother's  heart,  and  rightly  so.  for  she 
never  set  eyes  upon  him  again. 

For  many  years  no  word  was  heard  of  him. 
Meanwhile,  after  his  mother's  death,  his  sister, 
Janet,  with  her  hushand,  David  Rruce.  and  their 
two  hoys,  David  and  Dick,  had  left  Melljourne 
and  taken  up  their  alx)de  in  Mapleton,  where 
David  Bruce,  Sr.,  had  been  elected  and  ordained 
an  elder  in  St.  Giles. 

As  their  sons  grew  up  to  manhood,  old  David, 
like  the  father  of  Jacob  and  Rsau,  had  his  own 
misgivings  as  he  thought  about  his  boys. 

David,  whose  only  passion,  from  his  childhood, 
had  been  music  and  hunting,  had  on  various  oc- 
casions participated  in  several  dare-devil  scrapes, 
which  had  filled  the  hearts  of  his  father  and 
mother  with  anguish. 

Dick,  while  not  given  to  splendid  transgressions 
like  his  fearless  brother,  had  on  more  than  one 
rKcasion  given  evidence  of  a  certain  duplicity  of 
disposition  which  had  pierced  the  hearts  of  his 
parents  as  with  a  dagger. 

As  the  years  had  passed,  Dick  had  been  articled 
in  the  office  of  a  local  lawyer,  and  this  man  had 


Into  a  Par  Country 


71 


one  (lay  remarked  that  Dick  was  "as  sharp  as 
a  razor  and  as  cold-blooded  as  a  turtle." 

Dick  was  certainly  most  rcj,Mlar  in  his  hah- is 
and  applied  himself  with  unfailinp  diligence  t( 
the  duties  of  the  law  otTice.  I>y  which  assiduiiy 
he  hoped  to  win  wealth  and  fame  at  some  future 
day. 

With  David  it  had  been  f|uite  the  reverse.  Tlis 
course  of  life  since  leaving  school  had  been  most 
erratic.  His  father,  who  was  hiidily  respected  in 
the  city,  had  secured  for  him  several  good  op- 
portunities, all  of  which,  however,  he  had  al- 
lowed to  slip  through  his  fingers,  unimproved. 
His  mind  was  set  on  nothing  but  music  and  when 
he  was  not  absent  from  home  on  a  hunting  ex- 
cursion or  spending  the  nights  with  the  mcml)ers 
of  the  "Stag  Club,"  whose  rooms  were  located  in 
the  topmost  story  of  the  Queen's  Hotel  Building. 
he  used  to  sit  in  his  room  till  late  at  night,  thrimi- 
ming  the  strings  of  ai.  old  harp,  of  which  he 
had  possessed  himself,  much  to  his  father's  irri- 
tation and  disgust. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  the  home  of  David 
Bruce  and  his  family,  when,  one  day,  between 
Christmas  and  New  Year's,  a  letttr  bearing  the 
Albuk,  New  Mexico,  post  mark,  and  addressed 
to  Mrs.  David  Bruce,  was  delivered  by  the  post- 


72     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


man. 

"This  must  be  from  William,"  said  Mrs.  Bruce 
to  her  husband,  as  she  carefully  cut  the  end  off 
the  envelope  with  the  large  shea,  s  th  were  lying 
on  the  table, 

"It's  a  long  time  since  we've  heard  anythine' 
from  him,"  replied  old  David.  "He's  not  much 
given  to  writing  and  it  was  a  terrible  grief  to  your 
mother  that  she  could  not  see  him  once  again  be- 
fore she  died.  I'll  never  forget  how  she  moaned 
in  her  last  prayer,  'God  bless  William  and  keep 
him  safe  and  bring  him  home  to  me,  for  I  must 
see  my  son  again.'  He  never  came  back,  but  I 
have  the  feeling  that  he  has  always  had  a  thought 
of  us  in  his  heart.  It  was  a  pity  he  never  got 
married,  livii  g  alone  all  these  years  in  that  new 
country." 

.'\s  David  had  been  .saying  these  words,  his  wife 
had  hurriedly  glanced  <lown  the  pages  of  the  letter 
which  she  held  in  her  hand. 

.\t  length  she  said,  "David,  you  l)etter  read 
what  he  says." 

Taking  the  letter  in  his  hand  and  adjusting  his 
spectacles,  old  David  read  these  words  aloud . 

Albuk,  N.  M.,  December  20th,  1886. 
Dear  Janet: 
As    Christmas    draws    near,    my    thoughts    wander    far 


E   -J 


Into  a  far  Country 


73 


across  the  plains  and  hills  back  to  Ontario,  a  land  that  I 
can  never  forget.  It  is  a  holy  land  to  mc  now,  for  it 
holds  the  dust  of  one  whose  memory  shall  always  be 
sacred— our  dear  mother.  I  did  not  know  of  her  last 
fatal  illness  until  it  was  all  over,  and  then  it  was  too 
late.  Throughout  all  these  years,  I  have  been  living 
here— in  a  wild  and  godless  town.  We  have  no  church 
of  any  denomination  to  shed  a  purifying  influence  among 
the  people.  Last  year  an  Iris'.i  Priest,  Father  O'Connor, 
passed  through  this  town  on  his  way  to  his  Mission  among 
the  F'ueblo  Indians.  There  liad  been  a  washout  on  the 
railway  where  it  crossed  the  Rio  Grande,  and  he  was 
tonipclled  to  stay  here  over  a  Sunday.  The  good  man 
celebrated  Mass  in  the  saloon — which  was  the  largest  room 
in  the  town.  At  that  service  it  was  hlled  with  men, 
Spaniards  and  Mexicans  and  Yankees  and  Niggers,  who 
stood  bareheaded,  crowded  together,  as  the  Priest  fulfdled 
his  office.  His  words  were  all  in  Latin,  and  tliough  I 
could  not  understand  a  word  of  what  he  said— strict 
Protestant  as  I  was— yet  it  seemed  to  me  as  if  his  voice 
was  the  voice  of  God.  I  had  some  conversation  with 
him,  after  dinner  in  the  boarding  house,  and  never  before 
having  had  the  opportunity  to  speak  to  any  religious  man 
of  my  great  bereavement  in  Mother's  death,  I  poured  out 
my  heart  to  him.  He  must  have  been  a  man  of  God,  for 
when  I  had  concluded,  he  laid  his  hand  geiuly  upci  my 
shoulder  and  said,  "In  Domo  Patris  Mei  Ilabitationes 
Multae  Sunt,"  and  I  asked  him  what  he  had  said,  where- 
upon he  replied,  "In  my  Father's  house  are  many  man 
sions."  These  words  sounded  so  full  of  comfo.t  to  my 
sorrowfu.  heart  that  I  asked  him  to  write  them  down 
for  me,  and  that  night  before  he  left  he  gave  me  a  white 
card  with  the  cross  impressed  on  one  side  and  on  the 
other  he  had  written  these  words  from  liie  Gospel  and 
signed    his    name,    P.    J     O'Connor,    S.J.      And    now    to 


■f  I 


7A,    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


come  to  the  more  immediate  purpose  of  this  letter.     I 
may  say  that  during  the  past  years  of  my  life  here  I 
have  been  prospered.     You  are  aware  that  I   have  been 
engaged  in  the  lumber  trade  and  general  supply  business. 
This   business   has   developed   beyond  my  most   sanguine 
expectations  and  has  now  assumed  proportions  far  sur- 
passing my  own  powers  of  oversight.    Honesty  is  scarcely 
known  among  many  of  the  people  here,  who  have  neither 
the  fear  of  God  nor  of  Man  in  their  hearts,  and  for  months 
I  have  suffered  a  considerable  loss  through  the  thieving 
propensities  of  some  c '  those  men  in  my  employ.     This 
came  to  a  head  lart  week,  when  my  s'ipping  clerk,  Dick 
Rifler,   decamped  to  parts  unknown  after  making  heavy 
collections  of  moneys   due  to  me,  all  of  which   he  took 
with  him.     It  has  occurred  to  me  that  if  David  were  to 
come  to  Albuk  I  could  place  him  in  a  very  lucrative  posi- 
tion, in   which,  as  my   confidential   clerk    he  could  have 
charge  of  this  department  of  my  busin-'^.j.     I  would  pay 
him  good  wages  and  would  be  not  a  little  comforted  with 
the  thought  that  in  him  I   had  a  man  who  was  strictly 
honest  and  who  could  be  trusted.     I  am  growing  old  and 
have  a  physical  infirmity  which  will  never  leave  me,  and 
should   David   decide  to  enter  heartily  into  my  interests, 
I  liave  it  in  mind  to  make  bin  my  heir  and  successor,  as 
1  have  lipjllier  wife  nor  child  of  my  own.    It  is  my  earnest 
desire  that  you  and  his  father  should  give  this  matter  your 
serious  consideration,  and  if  you  decide  to  permit  David 
to  exercise  his  choice,  and  should  he  be  willing  to  follow 
his  uncle  to  this  far  away  country,  his  welcome  by  myself 
is  assured.     T'nk  well  over  it  and  write  me  at  your  early 


convenunce. 


Your  affectionate  brother, 

WiLUAM 


Main. 


After  reading  this  letter,  old  David  Bruce  and 


Into  a  Far  Country 


75 


his  wife  sat  in  silence  for  a  long  time.  The  twi- 
light shades  deepened  and  still  they  sat,  each 
busied  with  thoughts  too  deep  for  utterance. 

At  length  old  David  rose  and  went  out.  It  was 
night.  The  following  day  he  remarked  to  his 
wife  that  he  had  been  thinking  over  William's 
letter,  and  what  was  her  opinion  ? 

Her  eyes  filled  with  tears.  "What  are  you 
thinking,  woman?"  he  inquired. 

"Oh,"  she  replied,  "I'm  sure  David  is  honest 
and  that  he  would  not  violate  a  trust,  but  you 
know  he's  not  been  acting  in  the  way  we  would 
have  liked.  I  fear  that  there  has  been  drinking 
going  on  at  these  rooms  of  the  Stag  Club,  above 
the  Queen's  Hotel,  and  though  I've  prayed  many 
a  night  for  his  conversion,  I  have  seen  no  evi- 
dences of  a  change  of  heart,  and  that's  such  a 
wild,  godless  country  and  they  have  no  minister 
or  churches." 

"He  never  goes  to  church  here."  replied  her 
husband,  "and  I  do  not  think  that  he  could  find 
worse  company  anywhere  than  among  these  lads 
of  the  Stag  Club,  and  yet  he  might  commit  some 
reckless  act  v/ere  he  to  be  so  far  removed  from 
all  restraining  in^uences.  However,  we  arc  grow- 
ing old  and  he'll  have  to  shift  for  himself  some 
day  and  this  may  be  the  hand  of  Providence  held 


I 


y6     The  World,  the  Church  ami  the  Devil 


out  to  him.     I  think  we  had  better  let  him  read 
the  letter." 

"Just  as  you  say,  David,"  replied  his  wife,  "but 
1  fear  if  we  do  that  he  will  fly  away." 

That  night  as  young  Davi<l  retired  to  his  room, 
his  father  handed  him  his  uncle's  letter,  saying, 
"Read  these  lines,  and  may  ('Oi\  direct." 

David  decided,  in  the  course  of  the  week,  to 
accept  his  uncle's  offer. 

Hi.s  parents  understoml  all,  although  not  a  word 
had  been  spoken.  They  had  the  reserve  of  the 
Scotch,  who  as  a  race  say  least  when  they  feel 
most 

His  mother's  heart  was  full  but  her  hands  were 
busy  and  in  the  course  of  a  couple  of  weeks  she 
hafi  packed  David's  tnmk  as  full  as  it  cotdd  hold 
of  such  articles  of  wearing  apparel  as  fmly  a 
mother's  love  could  devise,  and,  deep  iti  the  center 
of  the  trunk,  she  had  placed  her  own  well-worn 
Bible,  which,  however,  her  son  never  opened 
during  all  the  future  years  of  his  absence  from 
home. 

At  last  the  morning  arrived  upon  which  he  was 
to  take  his  departure. 

The  train  left  Mapleton  at  the  early  hour  of 
six  o'clock  and,  being  winter  time,  it  was  still 
dark.      Mis  father  rose  at   four  o'clock  and  his 


Into  a  Far  Country 


77 


mother  shortly  afterwards,  while  David  appeared 
just  as  the  breakfast  was  placed  on  the  table. 

The  meal  was  eaten  in  silence,  but  the  old  man 
insisted  that,  on  that  morning.  David  should  have 
a  double  portion. 

The  meal  being  ended,  he  said,  "Janet,  give  me 
the  Book."  which  reverently  laying  down  ojien 
before  him.  upon  the  table,  he  said,  "let  us  wor- 
ship Ciod."  and  then  he  read  these  words: 

"My  son,  if   sinners  tntice  tliec,  consent  thou  not. 

"If  they  say,  come  with  us,  let  us  lay  wait  for  blood, 
let    us   lurk   privily    for  tiie   innocent   without    cause; 

"My  son,  walk  not  thou  in  th»;  way  with  them;  refrain 
thy   foot   from   their  p;ilii : 

"i'or  their  fed  run  lo  ivil.  and  make  haste  to  shed 
lilood." 

Closing  the  Hook,  he  said,  "Let  us  pray." 

"Ihen   kneeling   down   to    Heaven's    Hternal    King, 
The  .saint,  the  fatlu  : .  .nnd  the  husband   prays; 
Hope   sprin(,!s   exulting   on   triumphant   wing, 
That  thus  they  all  shall  meet  in  future  days." ' 

The  words  of  that  prayer  which  was  oflfered 
upon  that  morning  by  old  David  Bruce  are  no 
longer  known  on  earth,  but  they  are  all  recorded 
in  1  leaven.  Rising  from  their  knee.s,  young  David 
embraced  his  mother,  who  simply  said,  "My  dear 

'"CoUar's  Saturday  Night,"   Robert  Burns. 


78    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

boy!"  and  the  father,  his  face  calm  yet  glowing 
with  a  radiance  that  was  not  of  earth,  took  his 
boy's  hand  firmly  within  his  own  and  said,  "My 
boy,  never  take  the  blood — never — ^take — the — 
blood." 


V-s^ 


CHAPTER  VII 


ALBUK,  NEW  MEXICO 


JUAN    ALMANZOR 

A  LTHOUGH  but  nineteen  years  of  age,  David 
•*■  *-Bruce  was  a  giant  in  stature,  being  somewhat 
over  six  feet  in  height,  and  proportionately  broad. 
After  six  months  had  slipped  by,  the  muscles 
of  his  long  arms  had  also  developed  and  he  was 
regarded  as  the  strongest  man  in  the  town. 

As  a  boy  at  home,  his  favorite  sport  had  been 
gunning,  and  many  a  snipe  and  woodcock  had 
dropped  at  the  flash  of  his  unerring  fire. 

His  skill  and  proficiency  was  now  as  great  with 
his  large  Colt's  revolver.  Easy-going  and  good- 
natured  as  he  was  by  natural  disposition,  yet  all 
things  considered,  he  was  scarcely  a  man  to  be 
trifled  with,  and  this  fact  was  discovered  in  Albuk 
before  many  months  had  passed. 

Taking  his  meals  in  the  dining  room  of  the  one 
and   only  boarding  house   of   which   the   town 

79 


9\ 


8o    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


boasted,  he  had  fitted  up  a  room  for  himself  above 
the  office  in  the  warehouse. 

He  was  still  devoted  to  music,  and  that  was  a 
day  long  to  be  remembered  by  him  on  which  the 
express  delivery  brought  to  his  room  a  beautiful 
harp,  which  he  had  ordered  from  Chicago,  and 
many  a  night,  in  his  room  above  the  office,  did  he 
devote  himself  to  his  favorite  pastime.  It  so  hap- 
pened that  a  Spaniard,  who  had  for  years  been 
the  foremost  musician  in  Madrid  and  whose  exe- 
cution on  the  harp  had  frequently  delighted  Roy- 
alty itself,  had  drifted  to  Albuk  in  the  days  of  his 
decline  and  adversity.  This  man,  who  in  his 
prime  had  been  a  Prince  of  Harpists,  had  failed 
to  learn  that  "it  is  not  for  Princes  to  drink  wine, 
nor  for  Princes  strong  drink,"  and  drink  had 
proved  his  undoing. 

This  old  broken-down  musician  passed  many 
an  evening  in  the  chamber  above  the  office  and 
under  his  instruction,  united  to  David's  enthusi- 
asm and  patience,  it  transpired  that  the  spirit 
which  dwelt  within  the  harp,  at  once  so  subtle  and 
sublime,  yielded  to  David's  mastership. 

One  night,  as  he  concluded  playing  over  a 
theme,  the  old  musician  clapped  his  hands  and 
bounding  to  his  feet,  cried  out,  "Fuega  de  dios — 
Grande — Grande." 


Albuk,  New  Mexico 


8i 


II 


THE   THIEVES 


Towards  the  end  of  the  year  after  a  most 
laborious  day,  David  had  Ihiug  himself  down 
upon  his  bed,  overcome  with  fatigue.  He  had 
not  undressed,  only  intending  to  rest  awhile  Ix-- 
fore  finally  retiring.  He  had,  however,  fallen 
sound  asleep  and  about  two  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing he  awakened  with  a  start,  lie  had  ilreamed 
that  the  town  was  in  the  throes  of  an  earthquake, 
and  that  the  building  in  which  he  was  sleeping 
had  been  rudely  shaken.  Sitting  up  in  his  bed 
and  rubbing  his  eyes,  he  had  almost  concluded  that 
this  was  only  a  bad  dream,  when,  suddenly,  he 
heard  below  him  in  the  wareroom  a  grinding 
noise,  as  of  a  heavy  truck  l>eing  rolled  across  the 
floor.  Becoming  wider  and  wider  awake  and  lis- 
tening intently,  he  was  soon  assured  that  it  was 
even  so,  and  making  his  way  stealthily  to  the  head 
of  the  stairs,  he  overheard  men  conversing  in  sub- 
dued tones.  Taking  his  revolver  out  of  his  poc- 
ket, he  cautiously  descended  the  stairs,  and  he 
soon  discovered  that  the  large  back  door  of  the 
warehouse  had  l)een  forced  wide  open.     Backed 


82     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


up  close  to  it  was  a  wagon,  to  which  a  team  of 
mules  was  attached.  Concealing  himself  in  the 
darkness,  inside  the  lioor,  he  awaite<l  further  de- 
velopments, and  he  had  not  waited  long  when  two 
men,  pushing  a  truck  heavily  loaded,  approached 
the  open  door.  Biding  his  time,  he  delayed  until 
they  had  begun  to  move  the  stuff  from  the  truck 
to  the  wagon  and,  just  as  they  were  lifting  be- 
tween them  a  heavy  box  of  goods,  he  crept  stealth- 
ily up  behind  the  man  whose  back  was  turned  to 
him  and  with  one  swinging  blow  of  his  fist 
knocked  him  senseless  to  the  iloor — then  (|uick  as 
a  flash,  covering  the  other  man  with  his  revolver, 
whose  gleaming  barrel  could  be  seen  in  the  moon- 
light, he  commanded.  "H.inds  up."  The  bandit, 
uttering  a  blasphemous  oath,  surrendered.  I  It- 
proved  to  be  none  other  than  his  uncle's  former 
shipping  clerk,  Dick  Rifler,  who  had  become  the 
daring  leader  of  a  band  of  hold-up  men.  Order- 
ing him  to  lift  his  still  unconscious  mate  into  the 
wagon,  and  keeping  him  covered  with  his  re- 
volver, he  compelled  him  to  drive  to  the  lockup, 
where  these  two  burglars  were  lodged  for  the 
night.  He  had  not  oI)served  as  he  left  the  jail  that 
a  man  who  had  been  watching  the  whole  proceed- 
ings was  standing  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
street  in  the  shadow  of  buildings.  Quickly  return- 


Albuk,  Nezv  Mexico 


83 


ing  to  the  warehouse,  he  closed  and  made  fast  the 
door.  Thereupon  retiring  to  his  bed,  he  soon  fell 
sound  asleep  and  in  the  morning  wakened  up 
quite  unconscious  of  the  fact  that  confederates  of 
the  thieves,  who  had  been  lurking  with  their 
horses  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  had,  during 
the  early  hours  of  the  morning,  eflTected  a  jail 
delivery  and  the  whole  band  of  bad-men  had 
taken  to  the  hills. 


I 

m 


III 


DICK    RIFLER 

The  name  o{  Dick  Ritlcr  and  his  gang  was 
the  terror  of  those  travelers  whose  business 
compelled  them  to  journey  by  stage  across  the 
( )zark  Mountains,  and  many  a  more  adventurous 
but  less  experienced  traveler  who  had  ventured 
to  cross  these  hills  alone  on  horseback  had  dis- 
appeared, never  to  be  heard  of  again. 

People  in  the  town  of  Albuk  itself  for  the  most 
part  lived  in  constant  terror  of  their  lives.  The 
town  marshal,  a  brave  and  fearless  man,  Bob 
Porter  by  name,  who  had  gone  out  on  horseback 
to  reconnoiter,  had  not  returned  at  night  and  the 
following  morning  his  horse,   frightfully  jaded, 


If] 

I 


MICROCOPY   RESOLUTION   TEST   CHART 

(ANSI  and  ISO  TEST  CHART  No.  2) 


1.0 


I.I 


1.4 


2.0 
1.8 

1.6 


A  /1PPLIED  INA^GE     I 

S^  '653   EasI    Mam   St. eel 

E^S  Rochester,    New   York         14609       USA 

'■^S  (716)    482  -  0300  -  Phone 

^^  (716)    288  -  59b9  -  Fax 


r 


84    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

was  found  standing  by  the  stable  door,  the  saddle 
and  bridle  missing. 

This  roused  the  town  and  a  vigilance  commit- 
tee was  immeditael;-  organized,  of  which  David 
Bruce  was  appointed  Captain. 

These  men,  dividing  up  into  parties  of  five, 
scoured  the  country,  and  at  length,  after  a  search 
of  many  hours,  they  discovered  the  body  of  the 
town  marshal  lying  upon  its  back,  by  the  side  of 
a  creek,  with  a  gaping  wound  from  a  rifle  bullet 
in  his  forehead.  He  had  been  foully  murdered 
and  robbed,  as  he  had  ridden  along  the  narrow 
bridle  path  which  wound  its  way  between  the 
creek  and  a  precipitous  mountain  that  crowded 
down  on  to  its  bank. 

At  a  little  distance  from  where  the  body  rested, 
lying  upon  the  bridle  path  which  led  to  the  hills, 
was  picked  up  an  empty  envelope  bearing  the  post 
mark  of  Mexico  City  and  addressed  to  Dick 
Rifler. 

The  remains  of  Bob  Porter  were  that  day 
brought  back  to  the  town  of  Albuk  and  the  fol- 
lowing morning,  before  daybreak,  the  body 
of  this  hero,  who  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty  had 
not  counted  his  life  dear  unto  death,  was  lowered 
into  a  grave  which  had  been  hastily  dug  in  the 
sand,  and  William  Main,  taking  from  his  pocket 


;ufcSi5S*;- 


Albuk,  New  Mexico 


85 


a  white  card,  slowly  read  the  words : 

"In  domo  Patris  mei  habitationes  multae  sunt." 

In  silence  the  grave  was  filled  and  as  the  last 
shovelful  of  sand  was  heaped  upon  it,  the  sun 
streaming  through  the  mountains  flooded  the 
mound  with  gold,  like  a  benediction  from 
Heaven. 

For  many  months  after  the  killing  of  Bob  Por- 
ter nothing  was  heard  of  Dick  Rifler  or  his  band. 

No  traces  of  them  had  been  discovered  in  the 
hills  by  the  men  of  the  "Vigilance  Committee," 
and  the  town  resumed  its  usual  routine.  The 
stage  that  traveled  between  Albuk  and  the  Mexi- 
can border  came  and  went  unmolested.  The 
name  of  Dick  Rifler  was  scarcely  ever  mentioned, 
save  as  some  stranger  from  the  East  had  occa- 
sionally made  inquiries  about  him. 

A  year  and  more  had  passed  by  when  one  eve- 
ning a  strange  woman,  mounted  upon  a  splendid 
Kentucky  horse,  rode  leisurely  towards  the  town 
and  dismounted  at  a  large  house  on  the  outskirts 
which  bore  a  wide  if  not  a  virtuous  reputation. 

The  following  morning,  as  David  Bruce  un- 
locked the  office  door,  his  eye  caught  sight  of  a 
small  piece  of  brown  paper  carefully  folded, 
which  had  been  thrust  underneath  it  during  the 
night. 


M   : 


86     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

Taking  it  up  in  his  hand  and  unfolding  it, 
he  read  these  words : 

"To  David  Bruce. 

"The  dark  woman  who  came  here  yesterday  has  gone. 
She  was  drinking  with  two  strange  men  in  the  room  next 
to  mine  last  night.  They  all  got  pretty  drunk  and  noisy, 
and  overhearing  your  name  mentioned,  I  put  my  ear  to  a 
knothole  in  the  board  partition.  I  could  not  hea.  all  they 
said,   but   my   ear   caught   these   words:   'the   Vigilants — 

Bruce— next   week— death '     Your   life    is   in   danger. 

That  woman  is  Dick  Rifler's  special  friend.     Be  on  your 
guard— burn  this. 

"H.  B." 

Placing  this  torn  scrap  of  brown  paper  upon 
the  top  of  the  stove,  he  touched  a  match  to  it  and 
stood  watching  while  it  slowly  turned  to  ashes. 

Then  taking  from  his  hip  pocket  an  ugly-look- 
ing revolver,  he  examined  it  carefully,  and  step- 
ping out  into  the  yard,  which  was  still  deserted, 
he  threw  a  silver  dollar  up  in  the  air.  His  arm 
made  a  quick  swing  in  its  direction  and  a  shot 
rang  out — then  walking  over  to  where  the  coin 
had  fallen,  he  bent  over  and  picked  it  up.  There 
was  a  hole  bored  through  its  center.  "That  shot 
cost  me  a  dollar,"  he  muttered  to  himself,  and 
then  he  added,  "I  guess  it's  worth  it." 


Albuk,  Neiv  Mexico 


87 


IV 


THE   COMBAT 


,> 


About  a  week  later,  as  David  Bruce  was  re- 
turning to  the  office  from  the  himber  yard, 
just  as  he  turned  the  comer  of  Main  Street,  he 
saw  Dick  Rifler  striding  towards  him.  In  a  mo- 
ment their  eyes  met  and,  with  an  oath,  Dick 
yelled  out,  "I've  got  you  at  last,"  and  immediately 
his  gun  spit  fire.  In  his  excitement,  however, 
the  bullet  missed  its  mark,  and  before  he  could 
fire  a  second  time  his  gun  had  fallen  from  his 
hand  to  the  ground. 

David  Bruce  had  been  too  quick  for  him,  and 
with  one  swing  of  his  arm  had  shot  the  gun 
from  Rifler's  hand.  He  might  as  easily  have 
bored  a  hole  through  the  villian's  heart,  but  some- 
thing checked  him— he  had  seemed  in  that  awful 
moment  to  hear  the  echo  of  a  voice,  as  the  voice 
of  a  God,  saying,  "Never  take  the  blood,"  "Never 
take  the  blood."  "Hands  up,"  ordered  Bruce  as, 
covering  Rifler  with  his  gun,  he  rushed  upon 
him. 

"That's  1  ight,  that's  right,"  roared  Rifler,  now 
utterly  at  his  mercy,  "shoot  me  down  like  a  dog." 


:i- 


.11 


i3S5F 


88     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


"Back  away,"  commanded  Bruce  firmly,  and 
then  kicking  the  gun,  which  dropped  from  Rifler's 
hand,  aside,  he  threw  his  own  gun  upon  the 
ground  beside  it,  while  Dick  Rifler  eyed  him  with 
amazement. 

"Now  then,"  said  Bruce  calmly,  "I'll  not  shoot 
you,  but  I'll  thrash  you  till  you  wish  you  had 
never  seen  the  town  of  Albuk  or  heard  the  name 
of  Bruce."  As  he  uttered  these  words,  some 
citizens,  attracted  by  the  sound  of  the  shooting, 
came  breathlessly  rushing  up  to  where  they  stood. 

"Keep  back,"  roared  Bruce;  "this  fight  is  be- 
tween us  two — man  against  man." 

The  combat  began.  It  was  the  battle  of  giants. 
They  struck  and  clinched  and  pounded  and 
clinched  again  and  coming  down  almost  to  the 
ground,  Rifler,  whose  strength  was  yielding,  sud- 
denly drove  his  boot  fiercely  against  Bruce's  side, 
dealing  him  a  terrific  kick  under  the  right  arm. 
Bruce  turned  pale  for  a  moment  and  his  black 
eyes  burned  like  coals  of  fire.  With  one  last 
swing  of  his  powerful  arm,  he  knocked  Rifler 
senseless  to  the  ground. 

The  end  came  none  too  soon  for  Bruce,  for  in 
less  than  five  minutes  he  too  fell  down  upon  the 
sand,  holding  his  right  side  vath  his  left  arm  and 
moaning  in  agony. 


Albuk,  New  Mexico 


89 


He  was  hurriedly  carried  to  his  room  and 
there  laid  upon  the  bed,  where  for  weeks  he 
remained  hovering  between  life  and  death,  under 
the  care  of  Doctor  Duval. 

At  times  he  became  unconscious  am  in  his  rav- 
ing was  heard  by  the  old  Spaniard  who  tenderly 
nursed  him,  to  exclaim,  "The  blood — the  blotxl — 
Never  take  the  blood!" 

"It  was  a  battle  of  giants,"  said  Tom  Bart- 
lett  to  Ned  James,  as  they  stood  at  the  saloon 
bar  that  night.  "The  only  thing  in  all  my  life  I 
ever  saw  to  compare  with  it  was  when  the  cyclone 
raced  down  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  and 
bombarded  Mount  La  Yoja." 

"That  was  a  terrific  storm,  sure,"  answered 
Ned.  "The  worst  we  ever  saw  in  the  Rio  Grande, 
but  it  cleared  the  air." 

In  the  course  of  the  weeks,  David  Bruce  re- 
covered sufficiently  to  resume  his  duties  in  the 
office,  but  he  sometimes  was  heard  to  complain 
of  a  dull  pain  in  his  side. 


-  it!  I 


ir 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  LAST  WILL  AND  TESTAMENT  OF 
WILLIAM  MAIN 


"ITriLLIAM  MAIN,  whose  heart  had  been  in 
*  '  a  weak  condition  for  some  time,  received  a 
severe  shock  when  word  was  brought  to  him  of 
the  awful  combat  and  of  the  subsequent  pre- 
carious condition  of  his  nephew,  whom  he  had 
learned  to  love  as  his  own  soul. 

While  no  one  knew  better  than  he  that  the  life 
of  David  Bruce  was  characterized  by  certain 
lapses  from  the  paths  of  virtue,  which  he  could 
not  approve,  yet  he  recognized  that  these  periodic 
debauches  were  the  results  of  an  excess  of  vitality 
rather  than  the  product  of  an  essentially  corrupted 
nature. 

Less  than  a  month  after  the  return  of  David 
Bruce  to  the  duties  of  the  office,  which  office  Wil- 
liam Main  was  in  the  habit  of  visiting  every 
morning  at  ten  o'clock,  it  transpired  that  on  a 
certain  morning  the  hands  of  the  office  clock 

90 


The  Last  IV ill  of  William  Main      91 

pointed  to  eleven  and  as  yet  William  Main  had 
not  made  his  usual  appearance. 

Engrossed  in  his  duties,  David  Bruce  had  not 
noticed  that  the  forenoon  had  so  far  advanced 
until  when  reading  a  business  letter  which  dealt 
with  matters  requiring  his  uncle's  personal  atten- 
tion, he  observed  that  he  had  not  yet  come  in. 

Glancing  at  the  clock,  he  laid  this  letter  down 
upon  the  desk,  .saying  to  himself,  'Eleven  o'clock! 
and  uncle  has  not  come  down  yet;  strange;  I 
wonder  what  can  be  keeping  him." 

This  was  surely  an  unusual  circumstance,  for 
his  uncle's  habits,  as  all  the  town  knew,  were  as 
regular  as  the  clock.  So,  taking  his  hat,  he  hur- 
riedly made  his  way  towards  that  block  of  build- 
ings in  which  his  uncle  had  his  room,  and  ascend- 
ing the  stairs,  he  discovered  that  the  door  lead- 
ing to  his  uncle's  room  had  not  been  opened  that 
morning.  His  boots,  which  had  been  shined,  were 
still  upon  the  floor  of  the  hall  beside  the  door, 
where  they  had  been  placed  by  the  Mexican  serv- 
ant, who  attended  to  the  rooms  in  the  building. 

David  knocked  at  the  door,  but  receiving  no 
answer,  tried  the  handle.  The  door  was  locked. 
Just  then  the  Mexican  servant  put  in  his  appear- 
ance and,  on  being  questioned,  replied  that,  "he 
had  not  seen  Mr.  Main  since  the  night  be  .'ore." 


! 


92     The  IVorld,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

Breaking  in  the  door,  they  saw  the  body  oi  Wil- 
liam Main  lying  peacefully,  as  if  asleep,  upon  the 
l)ed.    William  Main  was  dead. 

Inside  his  pocketbook  was  found  a  sealed  let- 
ter, bearing  on  its  cover  the  name  of  David  Bruce. 
It  was  the  last  will  and  testament  of  William 
Main,  and  it  read  as  follows: 

"I,  William  Main,  of  Albuk,  in  the  State  of  New 
Mexico,  being  of  sound  mind  and  memory,  do  hereby 
revoke  any  and  all  former  wills  by  me  made,  and  do 
make,  publish  and  declare  this  to  be  my  last  Will  and 
Testament  as  follows: 

"I  direct  that  all  my  just  debts  and  funeral  expenses  be 
paid. 

"I  direct  that  the  sum  of  two  thousand  dollars  ($2,000) 
be  paid  to  The  Reverend  P.  J.  O'Connor,  S.J.,  to  be 
used  by  him  in  whatsoever  w?y  he  may  deem  best  in 
support  of  his  mission  work  among  the  Pueblo  Indians. 

"I  direct  that  the  sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars  ($10,000) 
be  paid  to  my  dear  sister,  Mrs.  David  Bruce,  Sr.,  of 
Mapleton,  Ontario.  Canada. 

"I  direct  that  a  memorial  window  be  placed  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Melbourne,  Canada,  in  memory 
of  my  dear  mother.  The  said  window  of  the  value  of 
five  thousand  dollars  ($5,000),  to  be  representative  of 
the  cross,  with  the  inscription  in  Latin  'In  domo  Patris 
mei  habitationes  multae  sunt' 

"I  give,  devise  and  bequeath  unto  my  dear  nephew, 
David  Bruce,  all  the  residue  of  my  estate,  both  real, 
personal  and  mixed,  of  every  kind  and  wheresoever  situ- 
ated, whether  now  in  my  possession,  or  hereafter  to  be 
acquired. 


The  Last  Will  of  William  Main      93 

"I  hereby  nominate  and  appoint  my  said  nephew.  David 
Bruce,  Executor  of  this,  my  last  Will  and  Testament,  and 
request  that  he  he  required  to  give  no  other  security  as 
said   Executor  than   his  own  personal   bond. 

"I  hereby  give  to  my  Executor  full  power  and  authority 
to  sell,  at  public  or  private  sale,  and  to  convey  any  of 
my  real  and  personal  property  as  he  .nay  see  fit,  and 
manage  and  dispose  of  my  said  estate  the  same  as  I 
could   if   living. 

"In  WITNESS  WHEREOF,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand 
and  seal  this  fifth  day  of  July.  A.  D.  i8— . 

"William  Main.  [Seal.] 

"Signed,  sealed,  published  and  declared  by  the  said  Wil- 
liam Main,  on  the  fifth  day  of  July,  A.  D.  i8— ,  as  and  for 
his  last  Will  and  Testament,  in  the  presence  of  the  under- 
signed, who  at  his  request  and  in  his  presence,  and  in  the 
presence  of  each  other,  have  hereunto  subscribed  our  name 
as  witnesses  thereto. 

"Andrew  A.  Charles. 
"John  Q.  Bryson. 
"William  M.  Sumner." 


m 


U        t   : 


CHAPTER  IX 


FATE  SHIFTS  THE  SCENES 


THREE    HORSEMEN 


A  YEAR  had  now  elapsed  since  the  sudden 
"^  *•  death  of  William  Main.  His  nephew  was 
continuing  t' e  business,  which  he  had  steadily  in- 
creased. No  word  had  been  heard  of  Dick  Rifler 
since  the  day  of  the  combat. 

He,  too,  had  been  carried  unconscious  into  a 
house  nearby,  but  in  the  morning  he  was  no- 
where to  be  found. 

Whenever  his  case  was  discussed  by  the  men 
who  gathered  in  the  saloon  or  upon  the  street 
corner,  the  prevailing  opinion  was  expressed  that 
he  must  surely  be  dead.  Bruce  had  dealt  him 
such  a  terrific  blow  on  the  side  of  his  face. 

While  Bruce  himself  seemed  always  disin- 
clined to  discuss  the  matter,  those  who  were 
most  intimate  with  him  inferred  that  he  certainly 

94 


Fate  Shifts  the  Scenes 


95 


expected  to  meet  Rifler  again  some  day,  for  it 
was  observed  that  he  was  always  armctl. 

But  the  name  of  Dick  Rifler  was  being  grad- 
ually forgotten  as  the  months  slipped  by  and  the 
people  of  the  town  of  Albuk,  freed  from  the 
fear  of  these  "bad  men,"  settled  back  again  into 
their  regular  routine. 

The  most  extensive  business  in  that  town 
was  that  which  had  now  been  established  for 
many  years  by  the  late  William  Main,  and  con- 
sisted of  a  large  lumber  yard  and  a  general 
supply  store. 

People  to  the  number  of  some  twelve  to  fifteen 
hundred,  who  composed  the  population  of  Al- 
buk, for  the  most  part  lived  in  small  white  painted 
wooden  houses,  which  had  been  built  near  to 
each  other  for  mutual  convenience  and  protec- 
tion. Albuk,  which  was  situated  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Rio  Grande,  which  river  at  that 
point  almost  encircled  it,  when  seen  from  the 
summit  of  the  neighboring  hills,  looked  like  a 
pearl  in  a  setting  of  gold  ^nd  platinum.  So  it 
appeared  at  least  to  those  of  the  town's  people 
who  had  seen  it  from  that  point  of  vantage,  and 
in  vhose  eyes  pride  and  affection  had  united  to 
cast  a  spell  of  enchantment  over  its  buildings. 

Not  so,  however,  did  it  appear  one  dry,  hot, 


96     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


.'!  i' 


m 

V-  :i\ 

I!-    i  I 


blistering  day  to  three  horsemen  who  looked 
down  upon  it  with  dark  eyes. 

One  of  them,  minutely  examining  it  through  a 
field  glass,  said :  "The  general  supply  store  must 
be  prelty  well  stocked.  I  see  a  numbei'  of  loaded 
wagons  moving  up  to  it.  They  are  getting  in 
their  fall  stock,  all  right."  Then,  turning  his 
glass  upon  the  lumber  yard,  he  added,  "There's 
a  gang  of  men  piling  lumber  in  the  v-ird — all 
working  like  niggers,  too." 

'What  are  they  doing?"  asked  the  man  who 
was  seated  on  the  horse  at  his  side. 

"Building  a  bonfire,  I  suppose,"  he  replied, 
with  a  wicked  leer  in  his  eye.  "They  have  no 
town  lights  installed  yet  and  Bruce  is  reported 
to  have  said  that,  'The  streets  are  so  dark  at 
night  that  they're  scarcely  safe  for  the  women 
folks.'  " 

"They'll  have  light  enough  to-night,"  growled 
the  third  man,  who  had  an  ugly  scar  on  the  side 
of  his  face.  Then  turning  the  heads  of  their 
horses,  they  vanished  behind  the  hills. 


Fate  S 'lifts  the  Scenes 


97 


II 


THE   HOLOCAUST 


l 


ti 


The  sun,  which  had  been  pouring  down  tor- 
rid waves  of  heat  throughout  the  day,  lii<e 
fiery  breaths  from  an  oven,  at  length  had  dis- 
appeared behind  the  lofty  mountains  to  the  west- 
ward, and  as  the  evening  advanced,  a  grateful 
breeze  came  floating  down  through  the  Eastern 
Hills,  which  increased  in  strength  and  violence 
as  the  hour  of  midnight  drew  near,  driving  the 
sand  in  clouds  across  the  plains. 

About  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  not  a 
star  was  visible  in  the  sky.  Doctor  Duval,  who 
the  day  before  had  been  summoned  to  a  case 
some  thirty  miles  to  the  eastward,  was  walking 
his  tired  horse  across  the  bridge  which  spanned 
the  Rio  Grande  near  the  town,  suddenly  heard 
in  the  distance  the  sharp  ring  of  horses'  hoofs 
and  he  was  almost  immediately  run  down  by 
three  horsemen  who  swept  past  him  at  full  gal- 
lop, making  for  the  hills. 

Reining  in  his  frightened  horse  and  recovering 
from  his  surprise,  he  raised  his  eyes  toward  the 
town  and,  to  his  horror,  he  saw  fire  breaking 


I'    i 


(! 


98     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

out  in  several  quarters  of  the  lumber  yard  and 
almost  immediately  he  beheld  the  general  supply 
store  enveloped  in  flames.  Driving  the  spurs 
into  his  horse's  flanks,  he  raced  wildly  through 
the  streets,  shouting  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "Fire' 
—Fire!!— Fire!!!" 

The  men  and  women  were  already  out  in  the 
street,  running  madly  up  and  down.    The  sight  of 
the  fire,  breaking  out  so  suddenly,  in  so  many 
diflFerent  quarters,   seemed  to  have  completely 
deprived  them  of  their  senses,  and  the  Doctor, 
taking  in  the  whole  situation,  rode  backward  and 
forward,  commanding  the  women  and  children  to 
make  for  the  river,  which  was  the  only  place  of 
safety.    The  destruction  of  the  town  was  com- 
plete; not  a  building  escaped.     That  night  the 
flame  had  scornfully  puffed  out  its  lips  at  the 
houses  and  stores  ana  the  lumber  yard  of  Albuk 
and  in  the  morning  nothing  remained  to  tell  the 
tale  but  crumbling  ruins. 

The  sun  which  the  night  before  had  smiled 
upon  a  prosperous  town  of  comfortable  homes 
rose  in  the  morning  over  a  wilderness  of  ashes. 

David  Bruce  felt  that  he  knew  whose  hand 
had  kindled  the  devastating  holocaust,  and  as  he 
gazed  upon  the  ruins  of  his  business  and  the 
destruction  of  his  hopes  he  muttered,  "And  to 


Fate  Shifts  the  Scenes 


99 


think  that  I  might  have  taken  his  blood — and  I 

would  have  done  so  but — for "  and  then  he 

stopped  himself  and  for  a  moment  seemed  like 
a  man,  as  it  were,  in  a  dream. 


ni 


CHICAGO 


The  books  of  the  General  Supply  Store  and 
Lumber  Yard,  which,  at  the  close  of  each  day's 
operations,  were  always  securely  locked  away, 
in  a  strong  iron  safe,  alone  were  left  to  bear 
mute  testimony  to  the  success  which,  for  years, 
had  attended  the  commercial  undertakings  of 
the  late  William  Main  and  his  nephew  David 
Bruce. 

These  books  Bruce  removed  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible to  a  place  of  safety,  having,  with  the  help 
of  some  Indians  who  at  daybreak  had  camped 
upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  erected  a 
small  rough  shack. 

In  this  building  he  temporarily  established  his 
office  and  heroically  set  to  work  at  the  depress- 
ing task  of  ascertaining  the  state  of  his  finances. 
After  collecting  the  various  accounts  which  were 
due  him  for  lumber  and  other  supplies,  all  of 


nil 


m 


loo    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

which  money  he  deposited  in  the  bank  at  Santa 
Fe,  he  discovered  that  his  tota'  assets  amounted 
to  something  less  than  sixteen  tnousand  dollars 
($16,000),  against  which  there  were  liabilities 
of  almost  fifteen  thousand  dollars  ($15,000). 
Having  promptly  paid  his  debts,  he  found  him- 
self with  less  than  one  thousand  dollars  ($1,000) 
to  the  good,  but  with  his  integrity  unimpeached 
and  his  hope  still  high  he  courageously  applied 
himself  to  the  difficult  task  of  rehabilitating  his 
business. 

The  rough  shack,  in  which  he  was  compelled, 
for  the  present,  to  work  and  sleep,  afforded  him 
but  scant  protection  from  the  weather  and  what 
with  exposure,  anxiety  and  badly  prepared  food, 
not  many  weeks  had  elapsed  until  one  morning 
he  found  himself  too  sick  to  rise. 

Doctor  Duval,  who  throughout  these  terrible 
weeks  succeeding  the  fire  had  proved  himself  not 
only  a  i)hysician  but  a  good  Samaritan,  was  sum- 
moned and,  under  his  care,  in  the  course  of  a  few 
davs  Bruce  had  sufficiently  recovered  to  be  able 
tend  to  some  of  his  duties. 

ihe  pain  in  his  breast,  however,  still  gripped 
him  severely  at  times,  and  the  Doctor  told  him 
to  come  up  to  his  office  for  a  thorough  examina- 
tion. 


Fate  Shifts  the  Scenes 


lOI 


"Now,  where  is  that  pain,  Bruce?"  asked  the 
Doctor,  passing  his  skilful  fingers  over  the  right 
breast,  just  below  the  axillary  region,  but  before 
Bruce  had  time  to  reply,  he  continued,  "About 
here,  isn't  it?" 

"Yes,"  said  Bruce,  as  a  sudden  twinge  of  pain 
shot  through  his  side. 

To  the  Doctor's  mind,  the  case  was  clear. 

"It  was  here  thit  Dick  Rifler  kicked  you, 
wasn't  it?"  asked  the  Doctor. 

"Somewhere  there,"  answered   Bruce. 

"You're  thinking  of  going  to  Chicago,  I  hear," 
said  the  Doctor. 

"Probably  I  shall."  replied  Bruce.  "The  trav- 
eler tor  Richard  Bell  &  Co.  was  here  last  week 
and  I  e  told  me  that  he  was  satisfied  if  I  could 
perse  lally  interview  Mr.  Bell  and  explain  all  the 
circumstances,  suitable  arrangements  might  be 
made  to  resume  the  business  of  the  General  Sup- 
ply Store." 

"Richard  Bell  is  one  of  the  greatest  merchants 
in  the  Middle  West  and  one  of  the  shrewdest  men 
in  the  commercial  world,"  exclaimed  the  Doctor. 

"He  is  as  keen  as  a  razor  and  has  absolute  con- 
fidence in  his  own  estimate  of  men.  I  don't  think 
he  would  turn  a  man  like  you  down,  more  espe- 
cially when  he  has  done  satisfactory  business  for 


'1  1 


HI 


Si 


I02     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

so  many  years  with  yourself  and  late  uncle.  I 
would  certainly  advise  you  to  go  up  to  Chicago 
and  see  him  and,  by  the  way.  if  that  side  of  yours 
should  trouble  you  while  there,  you  had  better 
consult  my  former  professor,  Doctor  Walker; 
he's  one  of  the  greatest  surgeons  in  America. 
I'll  give  you  my  card  of  introduction." 

David  Bruce,  having  decided  to  go  to  Chicago, 
left  Albuk  a  week  later  for  Santa  Fe,  where  he 
took  the  train  for  Chicago. 

Meanwhile.  Doctor  Duval  had  mailed  the  fol- 
lowing letter  to  Doctor  Walker : 

"Albuk,  N.  M.,  September  19th,  i&— . 
"Professor  Walker,  M.D.,  Ross  Hospital.  Chicago.  111. 
"Mv  DEAR  Professor  Walker: 

"A  young  man  in  our  town,  David  Bruce  by  name,  has 
been  under  my  treatment  for  some  time,  and  in  my  opinion 
IS  suflfenng  from  a  tumor  of  more  or  less  malignant  type, 
which  has  developed  in  his  right  breast,  under  the  axillary 
region.  He  is  going  to  Chicago  on  business,  and  I  have 
advised  him  to  consult  you,  should  he  require  medical 
attention  while  there.  My  card  will  serve  as  his  intro- 
■luction  and  identification. 

"Yours  truly, 

"P.  J.  Duval." 

A  few  days  after  this  letter  had  been  des- 
patched, Bruce  himself  arrived  in  Chicago.  Mile 
after  mile,  the  gigantic  engines  of  the  Santa  Fe, 


^J^r"?^^^l^gsa^l..:'"^.^^^?^ 


Fate  Shifts  the  Scenes 


103 


i 


like  horses  of  war,  tireless  in  their  strength,  had 
pounded  the  force  of  their  might  upon  the  end- 
less rails. 

Swifter  and  swifter,  the  heavy  express  from 
the  south  had  careered  across  the  prairies,  and 
as  at  length  it  drew  near  to  that  immense  city 
of  the  plains,  piercing  like  an  arrow  the  outlying 
suburbs  and  driving  straight  to  its  heart,  a  strange 
and  unaccustomed  feeling  of  excitement,  shot 
through  with  loneliness,  settled  down  upon  his 
heart. 

Issuing  from  the  station  on  Polk  Street  and 
standing  for  a  moment  looking  north  on  Dear- 
born Street,  it  seemed  to  him  as  though  the  seven- 
fold demon  of  that  restless  giant  had  already 
taken  possession  of  his  soul.  Its  pride  and  alert- 
ness and  force  and  squalor  and  wealth  and  bru- 
tality and  glory  all  strangely  woven  together  like 
some  magic  tapestry  seemed  to  clothe  him  with 
its  ponderous  fold. 

Here  men  had  scaled  the  dizzy  heights  of  am- 
bition and  here,  too,  others  had  sunk  to  the  low- 
est depths  of  despair.  Ambition  and  despair — 
twin  torturers  of  the  human  soul — which  of 
these  did  tLis  mighty  city  hold  in  her  hand  for 
him? 

He  had  come  to  see  Richard  Bell  and  it  seemed 


k  1": 


104     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

to  him  as  though  his  entire  future  was  dependent 
upon  that  one  man. 

"To-morrow  I  will  see  him,"  he  said  to  him- 
self, as  he  drove  to  his  hotel,  but  like  many  others 
who  haid  voluntarily  cast  themselves  into  this 
vast  maelstrom,  he  little  knew  what  awaited  him 
upon  the  morrow. 

That  night  the  spell  of  the  city  was  upon  him 
and  for  hours  he  traversed  its  streets  and  mar- 
veled at  its  greatness.  The  dazzling  lights,  the 
gilded  music  halls,  from  which  the  sound  of 
music  pealed  forth  to  be  drowned  in  the  discord- 
ant din  of  the  streets.  The  splendor  of  the  equip- 
ages with  their  complement  of  laughing  faces 
and  rich  gowns  and  brilliant  jewels,  as  up  and 
up  the  asphalted  boulevard  one  carriage  after  an- 
other raced  onward  to  the  opera. 

He  hastened  to  the  open  door  of  a  vast  audi- 
torium, and  as  the  crowds  were  passing  in  he 
heard  the  strains  of  a  wondrous  orchestra  and  his 
fingers  twitched  involuntarily,  in  rhythm,  as 
though  he  too  was  striking  music  from  a  harp. 
When  the  doors  had  closed  he  wandered  on  and 
on  through  the  streets,  saying  to  himself,  "This 
ishfe!  This  is  life!  I  never  saw  anything  like 
this." 

At  last,  when  the  hour  was  late,  he  returned 


^jd^^^j^M!:^L.:ij^j^,AM^i 


Fate  Shifts  the  Scenes 


105 


to  his  rooms  in  the  hotel  and  all  night  long  as  he 
tossed  restlessly  in  his  sleep,  he  heard  the  city 
throb,  unresting  in  its  energy,  tremendous  in  its 
force.  Towards  morning  he  fell  into  a  troubled 
sleep  and  dreamed  that  the  forces  of  the  city 
about  him  had  become  a  mighty  juggernaut — 
rushing  on  and  on — crushing  all  before  it  and 
beneath  it,  unpitying — relentless — cruel. 

Suddenly  awakened,  he  heard  the  shrill  voices 
of  the  newsboys  calling,  "Murder."  "Extra 
papers."  "Extra  papers."  "Ail  alx)Ut  the  murder 
on  Madison  Street."  And  as  this  blood-curdling 
cry  was  repeated  again  and  again  he  murmured 
to  himself,  "Life,  this  is  not  life — this  is  death!" 

Lying  down  again,  he  fell  into  a  fevered  sleep, 
from  which  he  was  awakened  by  a  sharp  pain 
ill  his  breast.  The  old  pain  had  returned  with 
.greater  violence  than  ever  before.  For  the  first 
time,  the  thought  occurred  to  him  that  this  was 
something  serious. 

Ringing  for  the  bell-boy,  he  asked  for  the 
house  physician,  who,  after  a  hast>  examination, 
said,  "Your  case  is  one  that  calls  for  a  surgeon 
immediately." 

"But,  Doctor!"  exclaimed  Bruce,  "I  had  an 
appointment  with  Richard  Bell  this  morning — a 
most  important  appointment." 


io6    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

"Doctor  Walker  can  do  a  man  in  your  condi- 
tion more  good,"  laconically  answered  the  Doc- 
tor, as  he  hurried  him  off  in  the  ambulance  to 
Ross  Hospital. 


ti. 


CHAPTKR  X 


MUSIC,  THE  UNIVERSAL  LANGUAGE 


GABRIEL    NORMANDIN 


V/'OU'VE  got  de  hard  times,  mon  frien',"  said 
•*■  Gabriel  Normandin,  who  was  "'■  *^ing  propped 
up  upon  the  next  bed  to  that  on  w  n  Bruce  was 
lying,  as  he  cast  a  sympathetic  glance  upon  the 
pale,  wan  face,  which  still  bore  all  the  marks  of 
intense  suffering. 

"Not  so  bad  as  last  week,  when  I  came  in 
here.  The  operation  was  successful,  but  I  guess 
this  sickness  has  busted  my  business,  all  right. 
The  Doctor  told  me  yesterday  that  I'd  have  to  go 
easy  for  a  year  or  so  and  I  don't  know  what  I'll 
do  now.  Everything  seems  to  have  gone  against 
me,"  he  added  wearily. 

"Ah  yes,"  answered  Gabriel,  "plen-tee  bad 
luck,  plen-tee  bad  luck ;  an'  me,  I  have  bad  luck, 
too,"  he  added,  with  a  sigh. 

Bruce  turned  his  head  and  looked  at  him. 

107 


1. 
I 


io8     The  IVortd,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


hi  I". 


Ciabriel  Ndniiaii  lin  was  a  I'Vencli  Canadian. 
Horn  in  the  Ottawa  Valley,  his  parents  had 
moved  to  I^  Prairie  when  he  was  a  child.  His 
pious  mother  had  devoted  him  to  the  Priesthood, 
and  for  some  years  he  had  attended  the  Grand 
Seminaire,  con<lucte<l  by  the  Sulpicians,  but  he 
had  made  only  indifferent  progress  with  his  lit- 
erary and  philosophical  studies.  His  mind  had 
been  set  on  other  things. 

Brother  Ignatius,  his  preceptor,  had  time  and 
again  said  to  him :  "Gabriel,  you  will  never  make 
a  Priest — you're  not  applying  your  mind  to 
Philosophy — wake  up — you  look  like  a  boy  in  a 
dream." 

But  these  gentle  reproofs  of  good  Brother  Ig- 
natius were  all  lost  upon  Gabriel,  and  one  day, 
when  the  summer  term  had  concluded,  he  left 
the  Seminaire,  never  to  return. 

He  went  home  and  lived  for  some  years  with 
his  parents  on  their  farm  1^  ide  the  Riviere  La 
Prairie. 

At  the  Seminaire,  however,  he  had  manifested 
not  a  little  aptitude  with  the  violin,  and  during 
the  long,  cold  winter  nights  he  used  to  sit  for 
hours  beside  the  sq.  ire  box  stove  in  the  kitchen 
of  his  father's  home  drawing  forth  from  its 
strings  the  heroic  and  stirring  melodies  of  old 


Music,  the  Universal  Language     109 

Nonnamly.  These  melodies  delighted  his  fath- 
er's heart,  htit  one  night,  as  he  conchuled  with 
the  plaintive  tones  of  the  Ave  Maria,  his  old 
mother  said,  "(iahriel.  nion  gargon,  you  mus'  be 
de  Pries',  for  sure, — you  nius'  go  back  to  de 
Seniinaire  an'  become  de  man  of  (iod,"  at  which 
words  she  made  the  sign  of  the  Cross  upon  her 
breast. 

"Jc  pcnse  que  nun,"  replied  Gabriel.  "It's  bet- 
ter for  me  to  learn  a  trade,"  and  so  it  transpired 
that  e  next  spring,  after  the  tlax  had  been  put 
in  the  ground.  Gabriel  left  La  Prairie  f(jr  Terre- 
bonne, where  he  l)ecame  an  api)rentice  to  his 
mother's  brother,  Alexis  Des  Monts,  who  manu- 
factured plows,  harrows,  etc.,  for  the  Habitant 
farmers,  in  that  vicinity. 

Years  passed  by,  and  Gabriel,  vho  had  de- 
veloped no  little  mechanical  skill,  invented  many 
labor-saving  devices,  which  were  used  in  his 
uncle's  shop.  Returning  home  one  day  in  the 
fall,  on  a  brief  visit  to  his  parents,  who  were 
now  aged,  he  found  them  out  in  the  field,  la- 
boriously pulling  flax. 

"Yes,  it's  slow  hard  work,"  exclaimed  his  old 
father,  "Beaucoup  de  travailler,  beaucoup  de 
travailler.  If  we  could  have  one  machine  to 
pull  it,  we  could  be  rich,  for  we  could  have  fifty 


4i. 
f-S. 

■Ml 


no    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


arpents  in  place  of  two,  but  der's  no  machine  and 
your  modder  and  1  mos'  break  our  back  at  dis 
job." 

That  winter  Gabriel  succeeded  in  inventing  a 
flax-puller,  which  could  be  attached  to  any  reap- 
ing machine,  and  with  golden  dreams  of  future 
wealth  he  had  traveled  to  Chicago  for  the  pur- 
pose of  selling  his  invention, 

Hs  had  interviewed  Mr.  Silas  Skinner,  the 
patent  expert,  but  delay  followed  delay,  week 
after  week,  he  was  kept  waiting  for  a  decision. 
Meanwhile,  his  money  having  become  nearly  ex- 
hausted, he  had  paid  for  his  board  by  playing 
the  violin  in  the  orchestra  of  the  Hotel  on  Wa- 
bash Avenue  where  he  had  been  staying. 

Coming  down  with  an  attack  of  pneumonia, 
he  had  been  sent  to  Ross  Hospital,  and  it  was 
there  that  he  had  become  acquainted  with  David 
Bruce,  who  was  now  lying  on  the  bed  next  to 
his. 

"What  do  you  do?"  said  Bruce,  the  following 
day  to  Gabriel. 

"Me,  I  play  de  violin  in  de  orchestra  in  de 
Beacon  Chop  House.  Dat's  good  place  to  eat 
an'  I  mus'  pay  ma  board  while  I  stop  here." 

"Have  they  a  harp  in  that  orchestra?"  inquired 
Bruce. 


Music,  the  Universal  Language     iii 

"O,  non,"  replied  Gabriel.  "J"s'  de  violin  and 
piccalo  an'  piano — but  me,  I  was  told  de  boss  dat 
he  mus'  get  one  harp," 

"What  did  he  tell  you?"  said  Bruce. 

"De  boss,  he's  say  dat  he  can't  fin'  de  man  for 
play  dat  music,  c'est  bien  difficile — comprend  tu?" 

"I  used  to  play  the  harp,"  said  Bruce.  "Per- 
haps you  could  get  me  the  job  for  a  while,  till  I 
get  stronger." 

"Bien,  otii,"  answered  C-3bi  iel.  "I'll  bring  you 
dere  maself  avec  your  harp,  when  you  get 
strong." 

Six  weeks  later  Bruce  and  Gabriel  sat  together 
in  the  orchestra  of  the  Beacon  Chop  House,  and 
the  throngs  of  people  who  were  assemL..  x  there 
observed  that  there  was  a  new  player  in  the 
band. 

On  a  Sunday  night  some  time  later,  as  some 
of  the  guests  were  hilariously  indulging  in  their 
wine,  a  mys'  ious  hush  suddenly  settled  down 
upon  the  company,  and  like  the  voice  of  a  white- 
robed  angel  from  Heaven  the  strains  of  Handel's 
Largo  filled  the  room. 

"Listen  to  that  harp,"  exclaimed  a  thick-set 
man,  with  a  pronounced  German  accent.  "He 
is  marvelous!" — "What's  his  name?" — "He 
ought  to  be  in  the  Symphony." 


LI' 


v'V 


112     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

The  speaker,  Tlumias  Gerhard,  was  a  famous 
musical  con(hicti)r. 

That  evening  as  he  passed  out  of  the  restau- 
rant, stepping  up  to  the  platfomi,  he  handed  his 
card  to  Bruce,  saying.  "Come  and  see  me  at  my 
studio,  Arts  and  Crafts  Building." 

The  following  week  when  the  patrons  of  the 
Sym'.>ony  opened  their  program,  they  read  these 
words  printed  upon  a  separate  sheet  of  paper 
which  had  heen  inserted  within  their  pages : 


"the   dirfxtors   of   the   symphony   have 

PLEASURE  IN  ANNOUNCING  THAT  THE  CELE- 
BRATED SCOTCH  ARTIST,  DAVID  BRUCE,  PUPIL  OF 
SIGNOR  JUAN  ALMANZOR,  HARPIST  TO  THE  KING 
OF  SPAIN,  HAS  BEEN  ENGAGED  AS  FIRST  HARPIST 
OF  THE  SYMPHONY,  AND  WILL  APPEAR  IN  SOLO, 
FOR  THE  FIRST  TIME,  AT  THURSDAY  AFTERNOON's 
CONCERT." 


11 


THE    MESSIAH 


Almost  a  year  after  the  time  at  which  David 
Bruce  had  joined  the  Symphony,  during  which 
periud  his  name  and  fame  as  a  harpist  had  been 


-.tfgwfiTy>y  ■  ^'mm^%y^^'M--^-mpi^ 


Music,  the  Universal  Language     113 

extolled,  not  only  in  the  drawing  rooms  of  the 
rich  and  cultured  but  also  among  the  more  criti- 
cal circles  of  professional  musicians,  the  an- 
nouncement was  made  that  the  Mendelssohn 
Choir  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  v(Mces,  which, 
under  the  masterful  conductorship  of  Klein 
Loewe,  had  won  a  world-wide  reputation,  was 
coming  West  to  produce  in  conjunction  with  the 
Symphony  Handel's  "Messiah,"  the  grandest  or- 
atorio in  existence. 

Thousands  of  people  crowded  a  vast  audi- 
torium upon  the  night  of  this  musical  festival. 

The  singers  were  massed  upo"  tiers  of  rising 
seats,  in  a  semicircle  around  th.  back  of  the 
stage,  while  below  them  were  ranged  the  various 
members  of  the  symphony  with  their  instruments. 
Harps,  violins,  double-basses,  'cellos,  oboes, 
French-horns,  cornets,  trombones,  flutes,  clari- 
nettes,  cymbals,  drums,  and  when  Klein  Loewe 
mounted  the  rostrum,  a  thrill  of  suppressed  ex- 
citement was  felt  throughout  the  Vc.3t  audience, 
for  he  was  a  conductor  of  almost  magical  power, 
as  he  was  a  musician  of  world-wide  renown. 

In  appearance,  he  looked  not  unlike  a  monk, 
and  his  large  head  was  set  firmly  on  his  shoul- 
ders. He  only  lacked  the  "Habit"  to  complete  the 
resemblance. 


:|-: 


|>;  i 


f  .r  J- 


114     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

With  voice  and  instrument,  the  whole  won- 
drous story  of  Redemption  was  vividly  portrayed, 
from  the  first  prophecies  of  the  Messiah  all  the 
way  down  through  his  life  and  death  and  resur- 
rection, until  when  the  choir,  as  with  one  voice — 
and  that  the  voice  of  a  God — poured  forth  the 
words,  "Hallelujah !  Hallelujah !  For  the  Lord 
God  Omnipotent  Rcigneth,''  the  vast  assembly 
rose  to  its  feet,  and  the  choir  concluded  with  an 
"Amen,"  "which  seemed  to  spread  it  ibrations 
backward  throughout  all  ages  and  forward  into 
all  time,  beating  its  sounds  against  the  skies,  to 
be  echoed  back  again  to  earth,  and  finally  gather- 
ing itself  up  as  with  the  force  and  majesty  of  a 
mighty  tidal  wave,"  ^  1  oiled  forward  conquering 
and  to  conquer  throughout  an  endless  eternity. 

Bruce  sat  beside  his  harp  as  one  in  a  trance. 
His  soul  burned  with  excitement  and  his  fingers 
nervously  struck  the  harp  stri^^gs.  His  whole 
being  was  thrilled  with  the  grandeur  of  the  music, 
but  his  soul,  like  the  souls  of  many  others  who 
heard  the  Oratorio  that  night,  was  untouched  by 
its  religious  message. 

Sometimes  it  seemed  to  him  as  though  the  sa'ls 
of  a  ship,  "rolling  in  a  tempestuous  sea,  were 

'  Ejcpression  used  by  John  Cumming,  'Ex.  Hall  Lecture." 
James  Nisbet  &  Co.,  London. 


I  %^<iy,'.- 


\£:w^am^ 


^im 


Music,  the  Universal  Language     115 

raisinj::  wild  sopranos  to  the  skies" ; '  again,  he 
seemed  to  be  far  away  in  the  depths  of  a  vast  pine 
forest,  whose  branches  hke  unto  mighty  harp 
chords,  smitten  by  the  storm,  sent  forth  clear 
notes  which  echoed  like  bells  of  joy.  Jfe  seemed 
to  see  waves  of  the  sea  transformed  into  "white- 
robed  choristers"  '  which  answered  back  the  thun- 
dered bass  of  the  clouds,  wlien  the  words  pealed 
fonh  with  trumpet  tones,  "For  unto  us  a  child  is 
born  and  his  name  shall  be  called  Wonderful. 
Counselor,  Mighty  God,  Everlasting  Father  and 
Prince  of  Peace";  and  then  once  again  the 
"drums  sounded  like  avalanches,  hurled  down 
from  mountain  heights,"  ^  as  the  deep  bass 
with  scorn  cried  out  the  challenge,  "Why  do  the 
nations  so  furiously  rage  together?" 

Music  was  his  passion.  It  bound  him  as  in 
chains  of  steel — it  gripped  his  soul — it  mastered 
him — it  was  his  <  i^)d,  and  as  he  sat  in  the  midst 
of  this  great  choir  and  orchestra,  ir  seemed  to 
him  as  th  /ugh  all  nature  was  vocal,  restless,  im- 
patient, eager,  tremulous,  insistent,  demanding 
to  be  heard,  to  intoxicate,  to  tontr  .1  the  world 
with  its  minstrelsy  of  praise. 


'Expression?  used  in  "Ex.  Jlall  Lecture'    by  John  Gum- 
ming.    James   Xisbtt  &  Co,  London 


Ml 


1 1 6    Tlie  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


fl 


The  call  of  the  blood  of  generations  of  an- 
cestors who  had  dwelt  far  North,  among  the  lofty 
crags  and  mountains  of  Scotland,  summoned  him 
and  his  enwrai^t  spirit  panted  for  the  free  air 
of  those  hills,  whose  mists  and  tempests  allured 
his  very  soul. 

A  strange  mysterious  feeling  came  over  him, 
somehow,  that  night  as  he  struck  the  last  notes 
on  his  harp;  he  felt  that  never  again  would  he 
play  in  the  Symphony, — that  he  must  be  oflF, 
somewhere,  far  away  on  a  journey — a  long,  long 
journey; — a  journey  that  led  through  deep  val- 
leys to  the  hills  beyond,  where  was  the  land  of 
his  sires. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  TRAGEDY  AXD  TRIUMPH  OE  A 

SOUL 


THE    UNPARDONABLE    SIN 


'■^  HE  operation  which  Doctor  IMaclarcn  had 
"•■  rushed  home  to  perform  on  David  Hnice 
had  taken  place  none  too  soon.  Shortly  after  the 
close  of  the  Symphony  season,  Bruce  had  ex- 
perienced a  violent  return  of  his  former  malady. 
Utterly  discouraged  and  broken  down  in  health. 
he  had  made  his  way  home  to  Mapleton  and 
there,  in  his  own  father's  Ivnise,  after  the  opera- 
tion, the  Doctor  had  told  him  that  there  was  no 
possible  hope  of  recovery. 

For  days  after  this  announcement  had  been 
made  to  him,  his  heart  had  been  filled  with  feel- 
ings of  rebellion  against  God.  He  had  cursed 
his  luck  and  time  and  again  he  had  oeen  over- 
heard by  his  mother  saying  to  himself,  "What's 

117 


I 

M 


ii8     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

the  use  of  life,  anyway!  If  I  had  only  shot  that 
man,  if  I  had  taken  his  blood,  which  he  richly 
('eserved,  my  business  would  have  prospered  and 
my  life  would  have  been  spared.  Thus  God  has 
rewarded  me  for  obeying  the  parting  words  of 
my  father,  'Never  take  the  blood,'  "  and  grind- 
ing out  between  his  teeth  in  scorn  the  words, 
"  'Never  take  the  blood,  never  take  the  blood.' — 
God — "  he  exclaimed,  "don't  speak  to  me  of 
God;  there  is  no  God!  If  there  was  a  God,  I'd 
hate  him!" 

These  awful  word-^  his  mother  had  overheard, 
and  they  pierced  her  heart  as  with  a  sword. 

She  had  heard  her  son — the  child  of  her  pangs 
and  prayers — actually  curse  his  Maker. 

The  daily  thought,  that  the  time  would  soon 
come  when  she  should  see  him  no  more  on  earth, 
had  filled  her  heart  with  sorrow,  but  now,  alas, 
to  think  that  he  was  going  to  meet  his  Maker 
with  blasphemy  upon  his  lips,  and  that  his  soul 
must  be  lost  eternally  in  hell.  This  thought  was 
indeed  unbearable.  Her  heart  was  now  com- 
pletely broken,  and  all  night  long,  as  she  lay 
in  her  bed,  hot  tears  of  agony  drenched  her  pil- 
low, while  she  moaned  the  words,  "My  son — my 
son — would  God,  I  had  died  for  tliee!" 

Early  the  following  morning,  old  David  Bruce 


The  Tragedy  and  Triumph  of  a  Soul     119 

appeared  at  the  door  of  the  minister's  study. 
His  face,  which  was  as  pale  as  a  ghost,  looked 
like  the  face  of  a  man  who  had  heard  the  groans 
of  the  damned. 

"Come  in,  Mr.  Bruce,"  said  Muir,  giving  the 
old  man  a  warm  shake  of  the  hand. 

"No,  A'll  not  come  in,  Maister  Muir,"  replied 
the  old  man.  "A'  jist  cam  doon  ta  tell  ye  aboot 
David.    He's  in  an  awfu'  state." 

"Yes,"  answered  Muir,  "Doctor  Maclaren  has 
informed  me  that  he  is  suffering  great  bodily 
pain." 

"Waur  than  that,  Meenister,"  groaned  the  old 
man,  and  then  with  faltering  accents,  he  added, 
"it's  speeritual— it's  speeritual.  His  mither  heard 
him  curse  his  Maker  yester'  e'en,  an'  the  thocht 
that  his  soul  is  lost,  has  nearly  killed  her;  all 
las'  nicht  she  wept  and  moaned,  'My  son — my 
son — would  God,  I  had  died  for  thee.'  " 

"Have  you  spoken  to  hmi  yourself,  Mr. 
Bruce?"  asked  Muir. 

"No,  A'  hadna  tha  courage  ta  speak  wi'  him 
aboot  thae  maitters.  Ye'll  hae  ta  come,  yer'sel, 
Maister  Muir,  an'  tak  him  in  han',  an'  if  ye  can 
do  onything  wi'  him  ta  bring  aboot  a  change  o' 
hert,  but  it's  a  maist  awfu'  case  an'  A'm  thinkin' 
bees  commeetted  tha  'Unpardonable  Sin,'  what 


I20     The  IVorlJ,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


the  Scripture  ca's  tlia  'Sin  against  tha  Moly 
("iliost,*  wliicli  liatli  nivcr  forgiveness,  neither  in 
this  war!'  nor  in  that  which  is  to  conic.  Before 
he  gaed  awa'  ta  New  Mexico,  A'  had  ma  ain 
thochts,  when  he  stayed  ocjt  sa'  late  at  nicht,  but 
he  aye  telt  i.ie  that  he  was  at  tha  'Stag  Club,'  an' 
then  hces  uncle  wrote  that  he  cud  fin'  no  faut  wi' 
David  save  that  like  most  o'  tha  young  men  at 
Albuk.  he  had  iiis  nichts  o'  deessipation.  A'  niver 
spoke  thae  words  ta  hees  mither, — it  wud  hae 
kille<l  her." 

"1  see,"  said  Muir:  "  'the  flesh  vvarreth  against 
the  spirit  and  the  spirit  against  the  flesh,'  but  tell 
his  mother  there  is  still  hope,  for  'while  the  lamp 
holds  on  to  burn,  the  greatest  sinner  may  re- 
turn,' and  'there  is  forgiveness  with  Him,  i'  it 
lie  may  be  found,  and  lie  will  abundantly  par- 
don.' " 

"Oo,  aye.  A"  ken  thae  words  weel  eneuch 
nid'sel,"  but  he  added  with  solemn  tones  in  his 
voice,  "there  is  a  sin  unto  death,  an'  tha  sin  unto 
death  hath  niver  forgiveness." 

"There  is  no  unpardonable  sin.  except  the  sin 
of  refusing  that  pardon  which  avails  for  all  sin," 
replied  Muir  earnestly;  then  after  a  pause,  dur- 
ing which  the  searching  eyes  of  old  David  had 
been  fixed  upon  him  with  the  eager  look  of  a 


The  Tragedy  and  Triumph  of  a  Soul     121 

man  who,  having  l)een  shipwrecked,  had  at  last 
caught  sight  of  a  sail  in  the  distance,  hearing  to- 
wards him,  Muir  added,  "I'll  come  this  evening. 
Tell  his  mother  to  trust  in  God." 

"Then  ye'll  no  be  tellin'  him  that  A'  cam  for 
ye,"  said  the  old  man,  as  he  turned  t(3  go. 


II 


NOT    BY    MIGHT    NOR    BY    POWF.r" 

That  same  evening,  and  on  many  succeeding 
evenings.  Muir  called  at  the  home  of  David 
Bruce.  He  had  succeeded  in  becoming  intimately 
ac(iuainted  with  him  and  winning  his  regard,  yet. 
for  days,  he  had  been  unable  to  intnxluce  those 
spiritual  matters  which  were  uppermost  in  his 
thoughts. 

Whenever  a  turn  in  the  conversation,  which 
he  had  .skilfully  engineered,  seemed  to  afford  an 
ojjening  for  a  word  of  .spiritual  advice,  (luick  as 
a  Hash  Bruce  had  changed  the  subject:  .so  that 
all  of  Muir's  attempts  to  introduce  the  subject 
of  religion  in  an  apparently  casual  way  had  been 
defeated,  and  this  defeat  had  causetl  him  deep 
heart  searching. 


122     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


i 


During  his  collect'  days  he  had  stood  at  the 
head  i)f  his  Theological  classes. 

On  the  night  of  "Convocation,"  he  had  heen 
summoned  up  to  the  pla»"  rm,  and  there  hatl 
been  presented  with  a  tra. cling  fellowship  by 
the  Venerable  Chairman  of  the  College  Board. 
Then  the  Registrar,  the  Reverend  Professor  Bar- 
clay, had  placed  in  his  hand  the  Cold  Medal,  be- 
ing the  highest  academic  distinction  which  was 
within  the  power  of  the  Theological  Faculty  to 
confer,  and  in  making  this  presentation  the 
learned  professor  had  publicly  announced  to  the 
"Convocation"  that  "the  successful  winner  of 
the  Gold  Medal,  Mr.  James  Muir,  had  proved 
himself  a  Theologian  far  in  advance  of  his  years 
in  linguistic  ability  and  Ci.iical  judgment;  that 
his  remarkable  thesis,  which  had  been  written  in 
German,  under  the  title  of  "Das  Problem  des 
Buches  Hiob,"  was  one  of  the  most  erudite  and 
striking  contributions  of  the  year  to  the  theologi- 
cal literature  dealing  with  the  Exilic  period. 

This  scene  and  these  words  recurred  to  Muir, 
as  he  returned  to  his  study  at  Mrs.  MacGregor's. 

"Yes,"  he  said  to  himself,  "they  told  me  that 
1  had  succeeded  marvelously  in  my  discussion  of 
the  Problem  of  the  Book  of  Job,  but  thus  far  I 
have  miserably   failed  to  solve  the  problem  of 


I  .-_!!••  "i 


The  iWagedy  and  Triumph  of  a  Soul     123 

David  Bruce." 

Muir's  heart  was  agitated  and  his  mind  sorely 
distressed  when  Mrs.  MarGregor  entered  his 
study  an  hour  later. 

"Ver  no  yersel'.  tha  nicht.  Maister  Muir."  slie 
said  to  him  in  a  kindly  sympathetic  voice.  "Ver 
takin'  tha  Kirk  ow'er  serious  .\'m  thinkin',  hut  ye 
sudna'  fash  yersel'.  The  f«.lk  are  a'  wi'  ye  an' 
it'll  a*  come  richt.  Go,  aye,  ye  needna  fear  for 
the  Kirk,  an'  hae  ye  seen  David  Bruce  tha  nicht? 
He  was  a  guid-hearted  laddie,  when  A'  used  to 
hae  him  i*  ma  class  i'  tha  Sabbath-Skule,  an'  he 
aye  kent  his  catechisms,  but  when  he  left  the 
Skule  he  gaed  wi'  bad  company  an'  f>ecame  a  per- 
fec"  wastrel.  But  na  smooth  words  'ull  dae  him 
•'">■  giiid,  ye'll  hae  ta  convict  him  o'  sin  an'  pint 
him  ta  tlia  Cross.  Oo.  aye.  that's  the  only  way, 
Maister  Muir.  X  jist  lo'ed  the  laddie  ever  svne 
he  gaed  ta  ma  class  an'  there's  no  a  nicht  but  A' 
pit  up  a  prayer  to  G<..d  for  tha  salvation  o'  his 
soul.  Oo  aye.  Oo  aye.  Ye'll  hae  ta  convict  him 
o'  sin." 

"That  is  the  work  of  God's  Holy  SjHrit."  said 
Muir. 

"Oo  aye,  but  ye'll  need  ta  help  the  Speerit. 
Maister  Muir,  an'  may  God  gie  ye  tha  word  in 
season." 


124     ^/'c  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


III 


SAINT    A i; 'JUSTINE 


"T'hat's  a  fine  harp  you  have,"  said  Muir  to 
P>ruce,  as  he  cast  his  eyes  over  to  the  corner  of 
tlie  room,  in  which  old  David  Bruce  had  placed 
his  son's  harp,  and  then  added,  "How  much  I 
love  the  music  of  the  harp,  but  there's  no  one  in 
Mapleton  who  can  play  ii.  It's  such  a  difficult 
instrument  to  master.  I  suppose  you  have  not 
touched  its  chords  since  you  came  home." 

■'Xo,"  answered  Bruce,  "this  pain  has  extended 
down  the  nerve  of  my  right  arm,  and  I  have  been 
unable  to  touch  the  harp  for  weeks,  but  now  my 
arm  feels  Ix^tter  to-night.  If  you  could  bring 
it  over  beside  me,  perhaps  I  could  sweep  its 
strings  once  more." 

"I  wish  so  much  you  would,"  said  Muir,  as  he 
rolled  the  large  gilded  harp  across  the  polished 
Hoor. 

Softly  at  first,  then  louder  and  louder,  floated 
the  rich  mellow  tones  of  the  harp  out  through 
the  open  window  of  the  room. 

"Just  listen  to  that  harp,"  said  Vernera  Pem- 
berton  to  Edith  Carpenter,  as  at  that  moment 


The  Tragedy  and  Triumph  of  a  Soul     125 

■■'•;•  i)<i?sed  the  Bruce  residence.  "That  must  be 
l-!ur-  liiiMsclf.  I  h-ard,  in  New  York,  that  the 
I'"j)lo  uut  'A'est  had  gone  wild  over  his  playing." 
"1  a  ::  not  surprised  at  that,"  exclaimed  Edith 
Carpenter,  "if  he  can  play  so  marvclously  when 
he  is  sick,  what  mu:;t  it  have  been  to  hear  him 
when  he  was  well.  Listen;  what  is  he  playing, 
anyway?" 

"Oh.  that's  from  the  'Holy  City,'  "  replied 
Vernera;  "we  sang  that  anthem  last  Easter  in 
the  Church  of  the  Minor  Prophets,  and  it  made  a 
tremendous  hit,"  and  so  saying,  she  trilled  over 
the  words  of  Gaul's  anthem. 

"List  cherubic  host  in  thousand  choirs 
Touch  their  immortal  harps  of  golden  wires 
With   those   just   spirits   that    wear   victorious 

palms 
Singing  everlastingly  devout  and  holy  psalms." 

"That's  great,"  said  Muir,  as  he  rolled  the 
harp  back  again  to  the  corner.  "Where  did  you 
ever  learn  to  play  like  that?" 

"Oh.  I  learned  it  in  Albuk,  from  an  old  broken- 
down  Spanish  musician.  He  was  a  corker,  all 
right.  For  years  he  had  Ijeen  professor  in  the 
Conservatory  of  Milan,  later  he  was  appointed 
harpist  to  the  Royal  Court  of  Spain,  but  there 


m 

•  tIM 
•I    • 


126    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


was  a  mystery  in  his  life.  I  think  he  had  a 
past.  At  any  rate,  I  ran  up  against  him  at  Albuk, 
and  the  old  fellow  gave  me  lessons  for  several 
years." 

"Did  he  ever  speak  of  his  experiences  at 
Milan?"  asked  Muir. 

"Not  much,"  answered  Bruce,  "but  he  said 
that  the  Conservatory  of  Music  in  that  city  was 
established  within  the  walls  of  an  ancient  mon- 
astery, and  that  Milan  was  the  center  of  music 
in  Italy." 

"A  very  ancient  monastery  indeed  and  a  very 
old  city,"  responded  Muir.  "Milan  has  long 
been  noted  for  the  excellence  of  its  music.  T 
recollect,  last  spring,  hearing  marvelous  music  in 
its  great  Cathedral.  What  a  checkered  history 
is  the  story  of  Milan!  But  throughout  all  the 
many  vicissitudes  of  the  long  centuries  and  the 
rise  and  fall  of  temporal  powers,  the  church  has 
maintained  its  supremacy,  and  has  continued  to 
diffuse  throughout  that  city  a  beautiful  religious 
atmosphere. 

"It  was  there,  in  the  fourth  century,  that  the 
famous  Bishop  Ambrose  lived  and  preached,  and 
it  was  under  the  spell  of  his  mighty  preaching 
that  Saint  Augustine  was  converted.  A  man  who 
had  once  been  a  frightful  libertine,  and  who  had 


The  Tragedy  and  Trhimph  of  a  Soul     127 

sunk  deep  down  in  the  mire  of  licentiousness, 
indeed  he  had  broken  the  heart  of  his  saintly 
mother.  Monica,  but  by  the  grace  of  Cod,  one 
day  coming  under  the  influence  of  Saint  Ambrose, 
he  was  convicted  of  his  sin  and,  turning  from 
the  error  of  his  former  wa_, .;.  received  the  cleans- 
ing and  the  forgiveness  d  God." 

"I  never  heard  about  him,"  said  Bruce. 

"Then,  let  me  tell  you  the  story  of  his  life;  it 
is  one  of  the  most  thrilling  in  a'',  the  long  annals 
of  the  church.  Born  in  the  middle  of  the  f>)urth 
century,  as  he  was,  the  story  of  his  life  reads 
like  the  life  story  of  son^e  men  living  to-day." 
.\s  Muir  uttered  these  words.  Bruce  gave  him 
a  piercing  glance.  "As  a  boy,  Augustine  was  full 
of  mischievous  pranks  and  he  used  to  rob  orch- 
ards out  of  sheer  deviltry,  all  of  which  actions 
filled  his  mother's  heart  with  anxiety  and  alarm. 
She  was  a  most  Christian  woman.  Then,  when 
he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  he  left  school  a. id 
spent  a  year  in  idleness  at  home.  Leaving  home 
and  going  to  the  University  of  Carthage,  he 
plunged  into  a  veritable  mud-I)ath  of  licentious- 
ness, tarnishing  his  imagination  and  his  intellect. 
The  day  he  left  home  his  mother  had  placed  her 
Bible  in  the  sack  among  hit  clothes,  but  he  never 
opened  its  covers  or  read  from  its  pages  its  holy 


ti 


128    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

words  of  warning  and  admonition.  He  plunged 
deeper  and  deeper  into  vice,  and  associating  him- 
self with  men  of  skeptical  notions,  he  used  their 
arguments  to  silence  the  voice  of  his  conscience, 
which  from  time  to  time  accused  him  of  his  sin. 
Throughout  all  these  years,  his  mother  had  con- 
tinued to  pray  for  him.  At  last,  there  occurred  a 
series  of  providential  incidents,  which  were  sent 
of  Heaven  to  bring  him  back,  step  by  step,  to  his 
mother's  God.  He  had  become  proficient  in 
Rhetoric,  and  shortly  after  the  death  of  his  dear- 
est friend,  whose  words  of  warning  he  had  treated 
lightly,  he  left  Carthage  for  Rome  to  pursue  his 
profession  in  that  city,  but  becoming  dissatisfietl 
after  a  time,  he  had  taken  his  way  to  Milan,  and 
there  under  the  sermons  of  the  great  Ambrose, 
which  sermons  rolled  over  him  with  persuasive 
power,  he  was  convicted  of  his  sin,  he  acknowl- 
edged the  error  of  his  past  life,  and,  turning  to 
God,  with  deep  penitence,  he  confessed  his  sin, 
and  was  born  again  into  the  new  life  of  purity 
and  of  faith.  This  man  who  had  descended  to 
the  lowest  depths  of  vice  was  converted  by  the 
Power  of  God  and  continued  for  forty-three 
years  to  labor  in  the  service  of  the  Church,  and 
tor-day,  after  all  these  centuries,  the  name  of 
Saint  Augustine  is  held  in  the  highest  reverence 


The  Tragedy  and  Triumph  of  a  Soul     129 


by  all  Christians  the  world  over,  whether  Cath- 
olics or  Protestants." 

For  some  minutes  after  Muir  had  concluded 
the  recital  of  this  story,  Bruce  sat  in  silence,  his 
eyes  fixed  upon  the  floor.     It  was  apparent  that 
he  had  been  deeply  touched  by  the  story  of  Saint 
Augustine.    At  length  raising  his  eyes,  and  look- 
ing Muir  straight  in  the   face,  he  said,  with  a 
tremor  in  his  voice,  "Is  that  story  true;  is  that 
the  real  story  of  Saint  Augustine?"    Then,  after 
Muir  had  nodded  assent,  he  continued,   "That 
might  almost  have  been  the  story  of  my  own  life, 
it  is  so  like  it.  all  save  the  last.    I.  too,  left  home 
after  breaking  my  mother's  heart.     I.  to<j,  neg- 
lected to  read  the  Bible  W:  hands  had  placed  in 
my  trunk.    I,  too,  defiled  the  temple  of  God.    My 
uncle  just  the  day  before  his  sudden  death  had 
reproved  me  of  this  sin  with  which  my  life  had 
been  stained.     I,  too,  made  my  way  to  a  large 
city  in  which  I  pursued  my  profession.     There. 
I,  too,  became  dissatisfied  and  in  distress  of  body 
and  in  utter  hopelessness  of  mind  I  came  home  to 
die.     My  body  must  soon  succumb  to  the  power 
of  this  loathsome  disease,"  and  then  with  hot 
tears  coursing  down  his  pallid  cheeks  he  sighed, 
"the  harvest  is  past,  the  summer  is  ended,  and  I 
fim  not  saved." 


r-^: 


I.I 


130    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

The  shadows  of  eveiiinjj  were  gathering  in  the 
room  in  which  Muir  and  Rruce  were  sitting,  the 
twih'fjht  shades  were  deepening  into  the  darkness 
of  the  night.  There  they  sat  together  in  silence, 
the  man  who  had  sinned,  and  the  man  of  God. 
who  had  somehow  broken  through  the  adaman- 
tine walls  and  spoken  a  word  in  season. 

Then,  as  old  Mrs.  Bruce  quietly  walked  past 
the  door,  she  heard  Muir's  voice  repeating  in 
gentle  tones  the  words : 

if  we  confess  our  sins  he  is  faithful  and  just  to  for- 
give cur  sins  and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteousness. 

"In  that  last  day.  the  great  day  of  the  feast,  Jesus 
stood  and  cried,  saying,  if  any  man  thirst  let  him  come 
unto  me  and  drink  and  whosoever  cometh  unto  me,  him  1 
will  in  no  wise  cast  out." 

Then  followed  the  parable  of  the  Prodigal 
Son,  and  as  Muir  began  the  words,  "I  will  arise 
and  go  unto  my  Father,"  Janet  Bruce,  David's 
mother,  heard  two  voices  instead  of  one  repeat- 
ing the  words,  and,  rushing  out  to  the  other  room 
in  which  her  husband  was  sitting,  exclaimed: 
"Thank  God!  'This  my  son  was  dead  and  is 
alive  again ;  he  was  lost  and  is  found.'  " 

That  night,  after  Muir  had  knelt  down  beside 
Bruce's  chair  and  prayed  words  of  confession 
with  thanksgiving  and  faith,  he  rose,  and,  taking 


The  Tragedy  and  Triumph  of  a  Soul     131 

the  hand  of  David  Bruce  firml}  in  his  own,  he 
said:  "Now  unto  Hiin  Who  is  able  to  keep  y(ju 
from  faUing  and  to  present  you  faultless  before 
the  presence  of  Mis  glory  with  exceeding  joy. 
To  the  only  wise  God  our  Savior  be  glory  and 
majesty,  dominion  and  power  both  now  and  for- 
ever," and  DavicT  Bruce,  raising  himself  up  in 
the  strength  of  a  new-found  faith,  answered, 
"Amen." 


i  ! 


>-i 


CHAPTER    XII 
AMONG  THE  MEMBERS  OF  THE  KIRK 


TWO   OLD   SCOTCH    CKONIES 


Y^^'S  no  bad  whusky,"  said  Malcolm  Beatson 
-■■  to  his  old-time  cronie,  Donald  MacPherson, 
as,  in  accordance  with  their  weekly  custom,  they 
sat  together  of  a  Sunday  night,  indulging  in 
their  usual  confab  and  dram. 

"There's  no  bad  whusky,  Malcolm,"  replied 
Dunald,  as  with  a  sigh  of  satisfaction  he  laid  his 
empty  glass  down  upon  the  table;  "no,  there's 
nu  bad  whusky,  but  there's  some  better."  This 
(juiet  rejoinder  brought  a  smile  to  Malcolm's  face, 
and  with  a  nod  of  his  head  he  replied :  "It's  jist 
a  taste  o'  Glenlivet,  that  young  Dugald  brocht 
•  nv'er  ta  me  frae  Glasgow,  an'  A'  was  o'  tha 
opeenion  ye'd  no  find  muckle  ta  complain  o'  wi' 
it.  But  A'm  thinkin'  we'll  a'  hae  ta  be  mendin 
oor  ways.     Not  that  A'  iver  tO(jk  much  stock  i' 

132 


Among  the  Members  of  the  Kirk     133 

thae  total-abstcenence  bodies  ma'sel,  but  it's  jist 
comin'  ow'er  me  that  there's  nae  disputin'  tha  fac' 
that  drink  is  an  awfu'  curse,  an'  there's  sae  mony 
noo-a-days  that's  abusin'  it.  It  was  the  cause  of 
David  Bruce's  doonfa',  puir  laddie!" 

"Weel,  weel,"  answered  Donald,  "tha  young 
folk  noo-a-days  are  no  content  wi'  jist  a  moderate 
dram  like  us,  but  a'  dinna  see  for  why  we  a'  sud 
stap  takin'  a  wee  dram,  noo  an'  then,  jist  because 
thae  young  rascals  wuU  get  roarin'  fu'." 

"Tha  meenister  pit  it  strong  in  his  sermon  tha 
doy  when  he  was  discoorsin  aboot  thae  drunk- 
ards o'  Ephraim,"  answered  Malcolm.  "As  the 
meenister  was  speakin,  A'  thocht  A'  cud  fairly 
hear  their  drucken  words :  ^  'Ki  tsav  la  stav — tsav 
la  stav — qav  la  qav — qav  la  qav — Z'eir  sham — 
Z'eir  sham.'  " 

"Oo  aye,"  said  Donald,  "the  meenister  nae  doot 
mad  plain  eneuch  tha  aifter  effects,  but  he  didna 
say  onything  aboot  tha  awfu'  drouth." 

"An'  he  was  sayin'  that  we  oucht  ta  remember 
the  power  o'  example  an'  no  be  pittin  stumblin- 
block  i'  the  way  o'  tha  weak,"  said  Malcolm. 

"A'weel,  maybe  hee's  richt,"  replied  Donald. 

*  George  Adam  Smith's  description  of  the  Drunkards  of 
Ephraim,  "The  Expositor's  Bible."  Funk  and  Wagnalls, 
New  York. 


'34     Tlic  World,  the  C/iurcl  and  the  Devil 

"It's  no  for  the  likes  o'  ine  to  be  contradictin  tha 
ineeiiisttr— an'  for  a"  we're  takin  A'ni  tliinkin  we 
niieht  ahooi  as  weel  pit  a  slap  to  it." 

"  I  here's  sij>[ns  o'  a  great  awakening  in  tha 
Kirk,"  said  Malcolm,  "an'  there's  nae  doot  but 
that  the  fa'  an'  conveersion  o'  David  Bruce  is 
produein  a  wide  effec'— but  A"  dinna  see  how  tha 
meenister  did  onything  wi'  him.  lie  was  aye  sac 
dcnir  an'  set  in  his  ways— but  there's  nae  doot 
he's  a  changed  man  tha  noo  an'  A'm  gled  for 
auid  David's  sake." 

"Tha  meenister  tha  day  minded  me  o'  Robert 
Murray  McCheyne  when  years  ago  in  Dundee 
A'  heard  him  preach,"  said  Donald.  "He  was 
sae  earnest-like.  He  seemed  ta  hae  tha  unction 
o'  God." 

That  night  the  bottle  of  Glenlivet  was  locked 
away  in  the  press.  These  weekly  confabs  con- 
tinued, but  there  were  no  more  drams. 


II 


A    SGCI.\L    CUMBER 


There  was  a  large  gathering  of  the  ladies  of 
St.  Giles  at  Mrs.  MacGregnr's  on  the  occa- 
sion of  the  organization  of  the  Mission  Study 


Among  the  Members  of  the  Kirk     135 

Class.     While  the  majority  of  tliose  proiiit  were 
sincerely  interested  in  the  f,^o()(I  cause,  there  were 
a  few  who  had  attended  fmni  other  motivev     In- 
deed. Mrs.  Junius  1\  C".  IVniU-rtMn  liad  remarked 
to   Mrs.    .\lfred    Hanhury.  on   their   wav   i>>   the 
meetinj,'.  that  Junius  had  simply  n-)  use  tor  ni!- 
sions.  that  he  thought  tlie  heathen  were  all  right 
as  they  were,  for  if  they  never  heard  of  (  hri~- 
tianity  they  could  not  he  condemned  fnr  not  liv- 
ing according  to  its  precepts,  and  tliat  «he  her^lf 
had  always  con.sidered  that  Junius  ha<l  such  go.,fl 
business  judgment.     Mrs.   Manbury.  the  wife  <.i 
an  accountant  in  the  office  of  the  remk-rton  fac- 
tory, had  only  recently  moved  with  her  hu-hand 
to  Mapleton.     She  was  a  woman  socially  \ery 
ambitious,  and  had  formerly  been  idcntihcfl  v,  ith 
the  Congregational  Church;  but  soon  after  htr 
arrival  at  Mapleton,  having  discovered  tlsat  tli'- 
l)est  old  families  of  the  city  attended  St,  (',)]<■ 
she  had  been  most  regular  in  her  attenfjanct  at 
all  the  ladies'  meetings,  and.   learning  that  i!m.- 
Gardiners,   the   Maclarens.    the   Allans,    the    .<^i 
Claires,  the  Robertson^  and  others  were  all  in- 
terested in  the  organization  of  the  new  Mi-ion 
Study  Class,  she  saw  fit  to  reply  to  Mr-,  r'emler- 
ton  that  "We  really  must  all  rally  around  Mr. 
Muir;  he  seems  to  l>e  such  an  earnest  man'" 


l^6     The  World,  the  Church  ami  the  Devil 

Muir  opened  the  ineetiiijj  with  a  fervent  prayer 
and  then  briefly  addressed  the  ladies  upon  the 
subject  of  the  "Mo<lern  Missionary  Motive."  em- 
phasizing that  the  (piestion  was  not  what  (irxl 
would  do  with  the  heathen  who  had  had  no  chance 
to  know  the  riospel.  but  rather  what  God  would 
do  with  us  if  we  failed  to  give  the  (Jospel  to 
these  people.  He  pointed  out  that  at  the  present 
time  there  was  need  of  a  vast  increase  in  money 
for  the  support  of  foreign  mission  work.  He 
said  that  the  cause  of  this  was  due  to  the  fact 
that  foreign  mission  enterprise  had  now  emerged 
from  the  "Individual  Stage"  to  the  "Family 
Stage"  and  that  nowadays  in  order  to  retain  the 
ground  which  the  church  had  won  among  the 
heathen,  she  was  under  the  necessity  of  providing 
means  by  which  to  care  for  entire  families  and 
that  should  the  church  fail  to  rise  to  this  obliga- 
tion the  condition  of  many  of  these  people  who 
had  been  converted  from  idols  would  soon  be- 
come worse  than  that  of  the  heathen. 

The  meeting  was  then  tlirown  open  for  discus- 
sion, and  several  of  the  ladies  expressed  opiniuiis 
fav(jrable  to  the  proposed  organization. 

Jean  St.  Claire  gave  an  account  of  the  great 
meetings  held  in  lulinburgh  in  connection  with 
the  jubilee  of  Medical  Missions,    She  related  that 


Amomj  the  Members  of  the  Kirk     137 

Dr.  I'^arrar,  n.hcd  in  a  rich  l)Iark  ffown,  had 
preached  on  that  occasion  a  magnificent  mission- 
ary sermon  from  the  text.  "F  have  compassion 
on  the  multitude."  ami  she  stated  that  with  him 
on  the  platform  was  a  hc.st  of  distitif,niishe(l  per- 
sonages, including  the  Duke  of  Argyle  and  Pro- 
fessor Hlackie  and  Doctor  James  Mac^lrcgor. 
Henry  Drummond.  Mrs.  Bird,  the  fam-nis  trav- 
eler in  Asia,  and  other  notables. 

Mrs.  Macuregor  remarked  that  having  for  long 
years  been  intimately  ac(|iiainted  with  Miss  St. 
Claire's  mother  and  her  grandmother,  who.se 
presence  graced  their  meeting  to-day,  she  was  not 
surprised  that  she  had  found  time  and  inclination 
to  attend  the  great  Mi.-,>ionary  Jubilee  while 
abroad  in  Scotland,  and  she  concluded  by  moving 
that  a  Mission  Study  Class  be  organized. 

Mrs.  Banbury.  wh..,e  keen  eagle  eyes  had  taken 
in  the  whole  situation,  immediately  rose  and  said 
that  she  "had  very  great  pleasure  in  suiip(jrting 
Mr.-.  Mac<;regc,r'>,  ni.nion,  and  would  with  Mrs. 
-Mac(Jreg..r\s  graci<ni>  consent  like  to  add  that  the 
motto,  'X.^blesse  Tibbge,'  be  ad.^ptetl  by  the  new 
organization." 

After  the  m.4i(;n  had  been  carried  unanimously 
Mrs.  liurns-l-Aans  a  rather  giddy  society  woman 
and  a  friend  of  Mrv  Pemberton  s.  bending  over, 


1^  f;i 


I 

\  M 
!  Hi 


',  H 


138    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

whispered  in  her  ear:  "Who  is  Mrs.  Banbury?" 
To  which  Mrs.  Pemberton  replied,  sotto  voce, 
"A  climber."  At  which  both  these  ladies  smiled 
knowingly. 

However,  the  Mission  Study  Class  was 
founded,  and  it  proved  a  mighty  success.  Indeed, 
the  members  had  become  so  impressed  with  the 
needs  of  the  women  in  India,  of  whose  condition 
they  had  learned,  that  before  the  year  had  ended 
the  following  item  appeared  in  the  church  paper : 

"The  women  of  St.  Giles  Qiurch  Mission  Study  Class, 
having  undertaken  the  entire  support  of  a  Missionary  to 
represent  them  in  India,  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  has 
appointed  Miss  Jennie  B.  Rankine,  M.D.,  as  Missionary 
of  St.  Giles  Church,  Mapleton,  to  India.  Doctor  Rankine 
leaves  on  Friday  for  Allahabad.  The  Foreign  Mission 
Board  earne?tly  hopes  that  many  other  churches  through- 
out Canada  will  emulate  the  good  example  of  St.  Giles." 


Ill 


WALTER    SCOT  S    STORY 

On  the  corner  of  Main  and  Market  Streets 
there  stood  an  old-fashioned  square  stone  build- 
ii.g,  which  had  doggedly  held  on  to  its  site,  not- 
withstanding all  the  transformation  that  time  had 
brought  about  in  the  adjoi  ling  premises. 


Among  the  Members  of  the  Kirk     139 

This  low-set  two-story  stone  building  seemed 
to  have  the  energy  of  persistence,  and  in  this  it 
might  have  been  regarded  as  a  fitting  type  of  the 
man  whose  name,  printed  in  heavy  square  letters, 
appeared  on  the  sign  above  its  wide  comer  door. 

This  building  had,  however,  been  compelled  to 
yield  a  little  to  the  onward  march  of  progress, 
which  in  other  quarters  of  the  city  had  swept  all 
before  it.  It  had  in  years  gone  by  been  the  fash- 
ionable residence  of  Major  Gordon,  but  shortly 
after  his  death  the  members  of  his  family  had 
moved  elsewhere.  Mapleton  had  entered  upon  a 
period  of  city  expansion,  and  so  it  happened  that 
one  day,  under  the  auctioneer's  hammer,  this  gray 
stone  building  had  become  the  property  of  Walter 
Scot. 

He  had  turned  the  ground  floor  into  a  grocery, 
himself  living  with  his  family  above  the  shop, 
and  when  of  more  recent  years  he  had  removed 
his  domicile  to  a  fashionable  residence  m  the  up- 
per part  of  the  city,  the  whole  building  had  been 
consigned  to  the  large  and  growing  trade  which 
swept  in  and  out  of  its  doors.  And  this  trade 
had  swelled  to  very  large  proportions  indeed,  for 
everybody  knew  that  Walter  Scot's  grocery  was 
the  best  and  most  reliable  in  the  city  of  Maple- 
ton.    Delivery  wagons  bearing  the  name  of  Wal- 


■     ii 

'     ii 


■:■:> 


140    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

TER  Scot  were  even  to  be  seen  on  the  streets  of 
the  neighboring  towns  two  days  in  each  week. 

Walter  Scot,  as  his  name  implied,  was  a  Scotch- 
man. Some  sixty  years  before  the  present  time 
he  had  been  born  in  Scotland  and  there  were  those 
among  the  town's  people  who  had  said  of  him 
that,  while  he  walked  the  streets  of  Mapleton,  he 
lived  in  Scotland.  Be  this  as  it  may,  as  day  after 
day  he  sat  behind  the  desk  in  the  front  of  his 
store,  he  was  never  too  busy  to  exchange  a  good 
Scotch  story  with  any  of  his  acquaintances. 

It  was  not  unusual,  in  the  evening  hour,  about 
the  time  of  closing,  to  see  a  number  of  men  sit- 
ting around  inside  Walter  Scot's  private  office. 
Needless  to  say,  these  men,  with  few  exceptions, 
were  like  himself  among  the  trusted  pillars  of 
St.  Giles. 

It  happened  one  night,  when  this  coterie  of  men 
were  almost  splitting  their  sides  with  laughter,  at 
one  of  Walter  Scot's  famous  stories,  that  the  tall 
figure  of  W,  G.  Hale  was  seen  to  enter  the  door. 

"Come  away  in,  William,"  said  Walter,  beckon- 
ing him  to  a  chair,  for,  although  some  months 
previously  W.  G.  Hale  had  given  up  his  pew  in 
St.  Giles,  the  fact  that  he  was  Scotch  to  the  back- 
bone had  bound  him  to  Walter's  big  heart  as  with 
bands  of  iron. 


Among  the  Members  of  the  Kirk     141 


"You  seem  to  be  somewhat  uproarious  to-night 
for  staid  Presbyterians,"  exclaimed  Hale,  as  he 
glanced  in  a  kindly  manner  around  the  circle  and 
sat  down  in  the  proffered  seat. 

"Oh,  we're  just  laughing  at  Walter  Scot's 
latest  story,"  said  Gordon  Chisholm,  who,  like 
Walter,  himself  was  a  staunch  Elder  of  the  Kirk; 
and  then,  turning  to  Walter,  said :  "You  better 
repeat  that  story  for  Hale's  benefit,"  and  all  the 
men  signifying  ineir  approval,  Walter  drew  him- 
self up  in  his  chair  and  began. 

The  story  is  told  about  the  Reverend  Norman 
Black  of  the  Parish  of  Canlachie,  proceeded  Wal- 
ter, with  a  serious  tone  in  his  voice.  For  upwards 
of  forty  years  this  godly  man  ministered  in  the 
word  to  the  good  people  of  that  parish,  and  dur- 
ing these  long  years  he  had  been  called  upon,  on 
many  occasions,  to  conduct  the  funeral  services 
of  different  members  of  his  flock  who  had  been 
called  beyond. 

On  such  occasions,  it  was  the  custom  in  Can- 
lachie to  take  the  remains  into  the  Kirk,  and,  this 
done,  the  Reverend  Norman  Black  would  read 
the  Word,  conduct  the  prayers,  and  then  when- 
ever his  conscience  permitted,  pronounce  a  eulogy 
upon  the  character  of  the  departed. 

At  last  ihe  day  came  when  Norman  Black  him- 


i  ! 


142     The  IVorld,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

self,  rich  in  service  and  ripe  in  years,  lay  a-dying. 
The  Elders  of  the  Kirk  gathered  around  his 
bed  and  poured  forth  into  his  ears  their  tender 
words  of  consolation. 

"Ye've  more  of  your  people  in  Heaven  than  on 
earth,  Mr.  Black."  they  had  told  him. 

"Ye  mind  when  John  Sangster  died  ye  told  us 
that  he  had  gone  to  Heaven  and  ye  said  the  samt 
about  Janet  Gillespie,  and  Ian  Pringle,  and  many 
others,  and  it  will  not  be  long  before  ye'll  be 
meeting  them  all  again  in  Heaven."    To  all  of 
which  good  old  Norman  Black  entirely  agreed. 
Well,  at  last  he  died  and  he  went  to  Heaven,  and 
some  time  after  he  had  arrived  theie,  an  angel 
found  him  all  alone  upon  the  hillside  weeping  as 
if  his  heart  would  break.    On  enquiry,  the  angel 
discovered  the  reason,  for  Norman  Black,  after 
making  profuse  apologies  for  his  tears,  had  con- 
fided to  him  that  during  all  the  days  in  which  he 
had  been  in  Heaven  he  had  not  been  able  to  dis- 
cover any  Presbyterians,  and  that  his  heart  was 
overcome  with  loneliness,  and  then  he  added  that 
seeing  a  great  throng  of  people  up  around  the 
Throne,  singing  Hallelujah,  he  had  gone  up  to 
where  they  were  located,  for  he  was  sure  that  the 
Presbyterians  would  l>e  nearest  to  the  Throne,  but 
these  pecjple  had  elbowed  him  back,  and  to  his 


Among  the  Members  of  the  Kirk     143 

utter  consternation,  he  had  discovered  that  they 
were  all  Methodists,  and  this  had  surprised  him 
all  the  more,  because  in  Canlachie  they  had  never 
thought  that  the  Lord  cared  much  for  the  Meth- 
odists at  all.  Then  the  angel  said  to  him :  "Mr. 
Black,  you  don't  knov^r  how  things  are  arranged 
in  Heaven." 

"May  be  I  don't,  may  be  I  don't,"  answered 
Black. 

"Now  look,"  continued  the  angel,  "do  you  see 
these  two  hills  far  away  yonder  in  the  distance 
with  a  valley  between  them?  Well,  you  go  away 
down  through  that  valley  three  days'  journey  to 
its  farthest  point — and  there  you'll  find  all  the 
Presbyterians — they're  the  farthest  from  the 
Throne  in  Heaven,  for  they're  the  only  people  the 
Lord  can  trust  out  of  his  sight." 

As  Walter  pronounced  the  last  words  the  men 
broke  out  again  into  a  great  burst  of  laughter,  and 
when  it  had  subsided  W.  G.  Hale  remarked  that 
it  was  well  for  Moderator  of  Presbytery  Hender- 
son that  he  had  not  told  Scot  what  he  had  ad- 
mitted to  him  on  the  night  of  the  Ordination, 
namely  that  he  really  believed  the  time  was  com- 
ing when  there  would  be  a  Union  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Churches. 

"Speaking  s.    ously,  Walter,  while  I  cannot 


;7i*>:. 


i    I: 

1  !! 


'.   I 


i 


144    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

say  that  I  am  in  accord  with  all  the  doctrines  of 
any  of  the  churches,  yet  it  would,  to  my  way  of 
thinking,  be  in  the  interests  of  all  the  churches 
themselves  from  a  business  standpoint  to  get  to- 
gether." 

"In  what  way?"  enquired  Walter. 

"It  would  reduce  expenses,  concentrate  their 
forces  and  increase  their  efficiency." 

"I'm  not  so  sure  that  any  of  these  objects  would 
be  attained  by  an  organic  union  of  the  churches," 
replied  Walter. 

"In  the  business  world  the  monopolistic  move- 
ments have  eflfected  but  little  saving  to  the  con- 
sumer, while  they  had  been  the  means  of  reducing 
hosts  of  small  capitalists  to  a  condition  little  bet- 
ter than  that  of  pawns  whose  every  movement 
was  controlled  by  money  lords,  which  gentlemen 
amused  themselves  playing  the  game  and  inci- 
dentally piling  up  enormous  fortunes  for  them- 
selves, and  as  for  promoting  greater  efficiency 
surely  all  students  of  church  history  must  recog- 
nize that  the  balance  of  testimony  from  experi- 
ence indisputably  points  to  contrary  conclusion. 

"Christianity  would  not  be  as  strong  as  it  is 
in  England  to-day  had  all  the  Christians  re- 
mained in  the  Established  Church  since  the  time 
of  King  Henry  VIII.     Was  not  the  progress  of 


Among  the  Members  of  the  Kirk     145 

the  Church  in  Scotland  given  a  mighty  impetus 
by  the  disruption  of  '43  and  speaking  of  the 
Methodists,  is  it  not  a  fact  that  it  was  only  by 
the  exodus  of  Wesley  and  those  whose  souls,  like 
his  own,  burned  with  Evangelical  zeal  which  gave 
to  the  world  the  all-conquering  Methodist  Church  ? 

"The  same  beneficent  results  of  heroic  conten- 
tion for  a  principle  find  expression  in  the  most 
vivid  and  impressive  pages  of  the  history  of 
nations. 

"Would  any  one  seriously  affirm  that  had  the 
New  England  Colonies  calmly  submitted  to  the 
injustice  of  tax,  tion  without  representation, 
which  was  imposed  upon  them  by  King  George 
and  his  parliament,  the  inspiring  records  of 
American  liberties  would  ever  have  been  written  ? 

"No,  I  am  a  Presbyterian,  and  I  love  my 
Church — but  I  respect  all  other  churches  and  with 
John  Wesley  I  would  say, 

"In  things  essential  unity, 
In  things  indifferent  liberty, 
In  all  things  charity." 

"Hear,  hear,"  exclaimed  the  men,  when  Walter 
had  concluded  his  argument. 

They  well  knew  his  utter  sincerity.  He  was  a 
most  devout  man,  whose  sterling  integrity  had 


i  0 


! 


\ ... 


146     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

been  everywhere  admitted  and  approved,  a  typical 
Presbyterian  of  the  old  school,  a  school  from 
which  there  had  been  graduated  throughout  many 
generations  innumerable  men  and  women  whose 
splendid  integrity  had  adorned  the  doctrines 
which  they  and  their  fathers  had  professed. 

As  W.  G.  Hale  rose  to  leave,  he  said,  "Well, 
well.  Walter,  have  it  your  own  way  if  you  will. 
It  seems  to  me,  however,  that  you  have  no  serious 
objections  to  dealing  with  the  Methodists,  Con- 
gregationalists.  Baptists,  and  Anglicans  six  days 
in  the  week,  but  I  suppose  the  seventh  day  is 
the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  your  God.  whose  pre- 
eminent representatives  on  earth  must  ever  be  to 
you  John  Knox  and  St.  Giles." 

"James  Muir  and  St.  Giles,"  put  in  Neil  Fer- 
guson. 

"Oh.  yes,"  said  Hale,  "the  old  beadle  solemnly 
informed  me  in  speaking  of  the  advent  of  the 
Reverend  James  Muir  that,  'Elijah  had  come !'  " 

"You'll  have  to  come  up  yourself  and  hear 
him,"  said  Walter. 


Vv 


■Hilialillllii 


mam 


W^f^^T^. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
SACRAMENT   SABBATH    IN   THE  KIRK 


THE  morning  of  Sacrament  Sabbath  dawned 
bright  and  balmy  over  the  town  of  Maple- 
ton,  and  as  the  great  bell  of  St.  Giles  peeled  forth 
its  mellow  music  it  seemed  as  though  with  solemn 
cadences  it  summoned  the  people  not  only  to 
church  but  to  God. 

From  all  quarters  of  the  town  men  and  women 
might  have  been  observed  wending  their  way  to 

the  Kirk. 

"I  never  hear  that  bell."  remarked  Jean  St. 
Claire  to  her  brother,  "but  I  am  reminded  of  the 
romantic  story  of  the  bells  of  Bottreaux  Tower." 

"You  mean  the  bells  of  Tintagel,"  answered 
her  brother  as  he  plucked  a  rose  from  the  luxuri- 
ant vine  which  spread  its  branches  over  the  iron 
fence  that  skirted  the  "Elms"  and  gave  it  to  his 
sister. 

"No,"  replied  Jean,  "you  know  that  while  as 
a  matter  of  fact  the  towers  of  the  Bottreaux 
Church  are  silent  yet  there  is  a  legend  frequently 

«47 


I  in 


t 


148    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

repeated  by  the  fishermen  of  that  part  of  the 
Cornish  coast  to  the  effect  that  whenever  the 
storm  rises  over  these  waters  the  sound  of  Ijells 
tolling  is  heard  far  down  in  the  depths  beneath." 
"Where  did  they  get  that  idea?" 
"Oh,"  replied  his  sister,  "it  is  told  by  the  old 
fishermen  that  these  bells  intended  for  the  Bot- 
treaux  Tower  were  cast  in  France  and  were  be- 
ing brought  over  to  England  on  a  ship.     When 
they  sighted  the  coast  a  sailor  hearing  the  Tintagel 
bells  echo  over  the  water  kneeled  down  upon  the 
deck    and    devoutly    thanked    God    for    having 
brought  them  home  safely, 

"This  act  of  the  sailor  enraged  the  Captain, 
who  was  said  to  be  an  atheist.  Coming  on  the 
scene,  he  gave  him  a  brutal  kick  and  ordering  him 
up  off  his  knees,  told  him  to  thank  the  Captain 
and  not  God,  for  it  was  the  Captain  that  had 
guided  the  vessel  safely  home. 

"Scarcely  had  these  scornful  words  escaped  his 
lips  when  the  vessel  struck  a  rock  and  went  down, 
crew  and  all,  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  These 
bells  which  were  to  have  hung  in  Bottreaux 
Tower  were  buried  fathoms  deep,  and  the  legend 
tells  us  larther  that  when  the  west  wind  blows 
gently  across  the  waters  the  melody  of  an  old 
hymn  is  plainly  heard. 


iHIHII 


mam 


Sacrament  Sabbath  in  the  Kirk     149 


"come  to  thy  god  in  time; 
"youth,  manhood,  old  age  past, 
"come  to  thy  god  at  last." 

Just  as  Jean  concluded  this  story,  she  and  her 
brother  found  themselves  in  the  vestibule  of  St. 
Giles  and  passing  quietly  in,  they  took  their  ac- 
customed seats  in  the  old  family  pew. 

The  church  was  crowded,  and  not  a  sound 
could  be  heard  as  the  venerable  elders  walked 
reverently  up  and  down  the  aisles,  collecting  the 
tokens. 

Then  Muir,  whose  face  seemed  to  have  been 
transfigured,  solemnly  lined  over  the  words  of 
the  Scripture  paraphrase  which  was  invariably 
sung  in  all  the  Scottish  churches  before  the  ele- 
ments were  dispensed,  and,  as  his  rich  voice  con- 
cluded this  recital  with  the  words: — 

"With  love  to  man  this  cup  is   fraught. 
Let  all  partake  the  sacred  draught. 
Through  latest  ages  let  it  pour 
In  memory  of  my  dying  hour," 

a  deep  and  reverent  emotion  of  penitence,  grati- 
tude and  adoration  swept  over  the  waiting  con- 
gregation. 

At  the  close  of  the  service,  Muir,  looking 
earnestly  down  upon  the  assembled  worshipers, 
said :    "The  benediction  will  not  be  pronounced  in 


't  !l 


f 


150     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

the  Church  this  morning,  inasmuch  .t  this  service 
will  now  adjourn  to  the  home  of  Mr.  David 
Bruce,  where  the  Sacrament  of  Our  Lord  and 
Savior  will  be  administered  to  his  son  David 
Bruce,  this  at  his  own  request.  Any  members 
of  this  Cliurch  desiring  to  be  present  will  be  made 
welcome." 

Malf  an  hour  later  David  Bruce,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  his  father  and  mother,  the  elders  and 
some  of  the  members  of  St.  Giles,  received  his 
first  and  last  Communion  from  the  hands  of  the 
Reverend  James  Muir. 

This  simple  service  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  by  which  this  Sacrament  had  been  ad- 
ministered, not  in  private,  but  in  the  presence  of 
several  members  of  the  Congregation,  Muir  con- 
cluded with  the  words,  so  dear  to  David  Bruce, 

"And  now  unto  Him,  who  is  able  to  keep  you  from 
falling  and  to  present  you  faultless  before  the  presence 
of  His  glory  with  exceeding  joy,  to  the  only  wise  God 
our  Savior  be  Glory  and  Majesty,  Dominion  and  Power, 
both  now  and  forever — Amen." 


II 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  SHADOW 

That    Sunday     night,     weary    and     nervous 
vvith  the  labors  of  the  day,  Muir  tossed  rest- 


iii 


Sact  iment  Sabbath  in  the  Kirk     151 


lessly  upon  his  bed.  Fp'ling  into  a  lij^ht  sleep 
between  one  and  two  o'cl.  .k  in  the  morning,  he 
was  suddenly  awak**ned  by  the  violent  ringing 
of  the  telephone  in  his  study. 

Rushing  across  the  hall  and  placing  the  re- 
ceiver to  his  ear,  a  voice  en(|uircd.  "Is  that  Mr. 
Muir?" 

"Speaking,"  replied  Muir. 

"This  is  Doctor  Maclaren's  office.  Your  pres- 
ence is  desired  immediately  at  David  Bruce's." 

"David  must  be  worse."  said  Muir  to  himself, 
as  hurriedly  dressing  himself,  he  hastened  out 
into  the  street. 

Arriving  at  the  Bruce  residence,  he  was  met 
at  the  door  by  old  David. 

"Yer  here,  Mr.  Muir,"  said  the  old  man,  grip- 
ping his  hand  like  a  vice.  "Go  in — the  Doctor's 
in  there.  He  says  the  end  is  near" — and  fo  say- 
ing he  ushered  Muir  into  David's  bedroom. 

Seeing  Muir  enter.  Doctor  Maclaren  advanced 
towards  the  door,  his  hands  covered  with  blood. 

"David  and  I  have  been  plugging  the  cavity 
with  gauz  '  said  the  Doctor;  "we've  just  got  it 
fixed  up,'  irtd,  turning  to  David,  said,  "You're 
not  in  pain  now,  are  you  David?" 

"No,"  answered   David,  "only  weak." 

"Well — iust  keep  quiet — Muir  v  ill  apply  his 


152    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

hand  gently  to  that  gauze — like  this  (touching 
the  gauze)  to  keep  it  in  its  place  His  side  is  too 
tender,  to-night,  to  admit  of  a  bandage,  Mr, 
Muir.  Just  hold  it  gently  and  keep  it  in  its 
place," 

"I'll  be  going  now,  David,"  said  the  Doctor 
after  a  few  moments.  "Muir  will  remain  with 
you  until  Dick  comes.  He  left  Toronto  on  the 
eleven  o'clock  train  and  is  due  here  at  five," 

"All  right.  Doctor,"  said  Bruce.  "Thank  you 
— Good  night," 

For  some  time  Muir  continued  to  sit  at  Bruce's 
bedside,  gently  pressing  his  fingers  against  the 
antiseptic  gauze — at  length  Bruce  said  to  him, 
"There's  a  letter  in  the  desk  that  I  wish  you  to 
deliver — it's  addressed.  It's  mighty  good  of  you 
to  stay  with  me;  I  can  never  repay  you  for  all 
you  have  been,  and  done  for  me.  Do  what  you 
can  when  I  am  gone  to  comfort  Mother,  tell  her 
that  I  was  ready  and  willing  to  answer  the  call — 
that  we  will  meet  again  in  the  morning  in  the 
land  where  there  is  no  more  pain." 

"He  is  able  to  keep  you  from  falling  and  to 
present  you  all  before  the  presence  of  his  glory 
with  exceeding  joy,"  answered  Muir, 

Shortly  after  these  words  were  spoken  David 
Bruce  Ijecame  faint  with  exhaustion.    At  length 


•*« 


Sacrament  Sabbath  m  the  Kirk     153 


he  closed  his  eyes.  Muir  thought  that  he  had 
fallen  peacefully  asleep.  Bvt  in  a  few  moments 
he  heard  him  whispering,  the  scenes  of  the  past 
and  of  the  future  apparently  controlling  his 
thoughts,  "Messiah  to-night!" — "Messiah  to- 
night!"— "Great  Crowd !"— "Great  Crowd!"— 
"I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth" — "Harps" — 
"Harps"— "Full  Band"— "God  Omnipotent 
Reigneth" — "That  inscription  on" — "In  domo 
Patris  mei  Habitationes" — but  before  David 
Bruce  had  finished  the  sentence  his  soul  had  en- 
tered into  the  Mansions  of  the  Blessed. 


lU 


THE  HARP  OF  DAVID  BRUCE 

Two  days  later  the  funeral  service  of  David 
Bruce  was  conducted  in  St.  Giles.  Every  seat 
was  occupied  and  there  were  many  standing  in 
the  aisles.  The  service  was  marked  by  simplicity. 
After  prayer  Muir  announced  the  fifty-third 
paraphrase  beginning  with  the  words : 

"Take    comfort,    Christians,    when    your    friends 

In  Jesus  fall  asleep. 
Their  better  being  never  ends; 
Why  then  dejected  weep? 


Ifll 


.r, 


P"*' 
s 


154    T/t^  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

"Why   inconsolable,   as   these 

To  whom  no  hope  is  given? 
Death  is  the  messenger  of  peace 
And  calls  the  soul  to  Heaven." 

Then  followed  the  reading  of  the  121st  Psalm 
and  part  of  14th  Chapter  of  Saint  John,  and  as 
Muir  concluded  with  the  story  of  the  Prodigal 
Son,  from  the  1 5th  Chapter  of  Saint  Luke,  there 
was  scarcely  a  dry  eye  in  the  church. 

The  clear  tones  of  a  harp  were  heard  in  the 
cliuir.  It  was  the  Harp  of  David  Bruce — the 
Harp  he  loved  so  well.  The  happy  thought  of 
introducing  the  Harp  had  occurred  to  Vemera 
Pemberton  and  it  was  her  hands  that  swept  its 
chords  as  the  music  of  women's  voices  filled  the 
vast  arches  of  the  church,  singing: 

"List  cherubic  host  in  thousand  choirs 
Touch  their  immortal  harps  v/hu  golden  wires, 
With  those  just  spirits  that  wear  victorious  palms 
Singing  everlastingly  devout  and  holy  psalms."  * 

Then  Donald  Kennedy's  powerful  bass  voice 
rolled  out  the  words: 

"And  I  heard  the  voice  of  harpers,  harping  before  the 
throne, 
And  they  sang  as  it  were  a  new  song,  before  the  throne, 
And  no  man  could  learn  that  song  but  they  that  had  been 
redeemed." ' 

•  From  "The  Holy  City,"  A.  R.  Gaul. 


Sacrament  Sabbath  in  the  Kirk     155" 

That  clay,  Vernera  had  joined  the  choir  of  St. 
Giles,  and  it  was  a  day  which  she  never  forgot, 
nor  did  many  others. 


IV 


DICK  RIFLER 

Some  days  after  the  funeral  of  David  Bruce, 
his  aged  father  received  among  many  other 
letters  of  condolence  the  following  lines  from 
Professor  Juan  Almanzor  of  Albuk,  New 
Mexico : 

Dear  Sir: 

My  heart  is  overflowing  with  lonely  sorrow  to-day, 
for  I  have  read  in  the  paper  of  the  death  of  your  noble 
son  David,  whom  I  loved  as  if  he  was  my  very  own  boy. 
I  shall  never  forget  him.  He  was  the  best  friend  I  ever 
had  in  America  and  was  always  so  kind  to  me.  Many 
of  the  happiest  evenings  of  my  life  I  passed  with  him  in 
his  rooms  above  the  office  of  the  General  Supply  Store. 
His  sad  death  has  resulted  from  the  brutal  kick  he  got 
from  a  notoriously  bad  man,  Dick  Rifler,  who  for  years 
with  his  gang  terrorized  the  town  of  Albuk  and  the  entire 
country  for  miles  around  it.  You  will  be  interested  to 
learn  that,  at  last,  the  judgment  of  God,  so  long  delayed, 
smote  thin  villain.  The  woman  who  had  been  for  years 
his  special  fnend,  he  deserted,  and  in  her  jealous  rage, 
she  swore  vengeance  against  him.  One  dark  night  as 
he  was  making  his  way  on  horseback  through  the  moun- 
tains to  one  of  his   secret   retreats,  she  dressed  herselj 


tl 


V  \ 


156     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

in  a  man's  clothes  and  mounted  her  horse.  Meeting  him 
in  a  narrow  gorge,  she  threw  vitriol  on  his  face.  Crazed 
with  agony  and  blinded,  he  drove  the  spurs  into  his 
liorse,  which  rushed  madly  forward  through  the  darkness 
and  hurled  itself  and  rider  from  the  top  of  a  high 
precipice.  Some  days  later  his  body  was  found,  terribly 
mangled  by  the  fall.  His  was  an  awful  death,  but  one 
which  his  crimes  deeply  merited.  My  heart  is  full  of 
sorrow  because  David  is  dead.  I  shall  now  be  very  lonely, 
for  never  any  more  will  letters  come  from  him  to  me. 
Please  accept  my  deep  sympathy  and  tell  his  mother  that 
her  son  David  was  a  brave  hero. 

Yours  with  respect, 

Juan  Alhanzor. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


I   H 
1 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  LOVE 


JEAN  ST.   CLAIRE 

JEAN  ST.  CLAIRE  was  not  what  you  would 
call  pretty,  but  she  was  handsome,  of  medium 
height,  with  large  honest  eyes  and  with  an 
abundance  of  brown  wavy  hair  in  which  there 
was  a  suggestion  of  auburn,  but  her  chief  attrac- 
tion was  her  charming  manner,  gracious,  gentle, 
with  a  winsomeness  that  few  could  withstand. 
She  was  a  young  lady  of  keen  intelligence  and 
of  high  intellectual  attainment.  Devoted  to 
literature,  she  had  also  a  fine  appreciation  of  the 
exquisite  in  art.  The  former  had  been  inherited 
from  her  father,  the  latter  from  her  mother. 

Jean  was  a  general  favorite  among  the  older 
people,  and  from  the  days  when  she  had  at- 
tended High  School  she  had  also  a  host  of 
youthful  admirers, 

X57 


i'1 
|» 


j'.  Vz-^tf-  ^-JiAiAi^-.^^ 


Ir 


158    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

That  boy  was  envied,  indeed,  who  had  been 
granted  the  privilege  of  gliding  around  the  skat- 
ing rink  with  Jean's  hand  in  his.  while  it  was 
affirmed  that  Ronald  Scot  had  bought  a  Peter- 
borough canoe  for  no  other  reason  than  that  he 
had  experienced  alluring  visions  of  himself  and 
Jean  rippling  the  sleepy  moonlit  waters  of  tTie 
Iroquois. 

Even  the  Master  of  English,  in  the  High 
School,  had  found  it  on  several  occasions  more 
than  convenient  to  walk  home  after  school  by 
the  "Elms,"  as  Jean's  home  was  called, 

Mrs.  MacGregor  had  once  said  to  her,  "Jean, 
Jean,  you  give  a  bit  of  your  heart  to  every  one; 
what  will  you  do  when  the  real  Prince  comes?" 

At  this  Jean  had  smiled,  and  then  becoming 
serious  again,  replied,  "But,  Mrs.  MacGregor,  I 
haven't  yet  discovered  that  I  have  a  heart." 

When  in  Scotland  with  the  Maclarens,  Dr. 
MacLeod  had  done  his  best  to  persuade  Jean  that 
she  had  a  heart. 

With  him  it  had  been  love  at  first  sight,  and 
the  more  he  had  seen  of  her  the  more  ardent 
his  love  had  grown. 

The  fact  that  he  belonged  to  the  medical  pro- 
fession was  a  sure  recommendation  to  Jean's  in- 
terest.   Her  father,  who  for  many  years  had  been 


The  Mystery  of  Love 


159 


the  leading  Doctor  of  Mapleton  and  the  sur- 
rounding country,  had  always  been  her  her(j.  In- 
deed, a  Doctor  had  always  lx;cn  her  ideal  of  man- 
hood and  everything  related  to  the  science  of 
medicine  had  a  peculiar  fascination  for  her.  Her 
two  brothers  had  devoted  themselves  to  the 
science  of  yEscuIapius  and  there  was  little  rea- 
son to  doubt  that  had  Jean  also  been  a  boy  she 
too  would  have  entered  the  same  profession. 

At  the  age  when  most  children  were  making 
mud  pies  she  was  busily  engaged  compounding 
powders  out  of  ground  red  brick  mixed  with 
washing  soda  and  black  pepi)er  and,  like  her 
brothers,  was  never  known  to  be  without  a  small 
glass  bottle  in  her  pocket. 

When  she  had  become  older  she  was  not  in- 
frequent Mscovered  by  her  father  poring  over 
the  Medica.  Quarterly,  to  which  he  was  a  sub- 
scriber, and  caught  in  this  act  one  day  by  Mrs. 
MacGregor,  Jean  had  replied  to  a  gentle  re- 
proof, "Oh,  I  guess  I  am  like  the  darky  'just 
born  so.'  " 

Doctor  MacLeod,  who  was  young  and  hand- 
some, had  the  appearance  of  a  man  who  took  his 
profession  very  seriously.  Into  Jean's  sympa- 
thetic ear  he  had  poured  all  his  ambitious 
dreams:  of  how  he  hoped  in  later  years  to  devote 


i\ 


iCtO    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


Vt    ^K 


) 

Iff-  I 


Ikt, 


part  of  his  time  to  the  work  oi  original  research. 
There  was  so  much  still  unexplored  in  the  wide 
field  of  medical  science. 

As  he  thus  had  manifested  his  splendid  en- 
thusiasm. Jean  had  become  more  than  a  little 
interested,  and  her  eyes  had  burned  with  a  sym- 
pathetic glow. 

Little  wonder  then  that  young  Doctor  Mac- 
Leod should  have  inferred  that  some  of  this  in- 
terest was  in  himself  personally.  He  had  in- 
wardly vowed  that  she  was  his  destiny,  and  that 
he  nntst  surely  endeavor,  before  she  sailed  away 
home,  to  give  her  some  intimation  of  his  devo- 
tion. 

While  it  had  occurred  to  him  that  it  would 
scarcely  be  good  form  to  make  a  proposal  upon 
so  brief  an  accjuaintance,  yet  he  hoped  that  he 
might  at  least  be  able  to  secure  from  her  some 
mark  of  her  personal  interest  before  she  re- 
turned to  Canada. 

His  hopes,  however,  had  all  been  defeated,  for 
two  days  before  the  Congress  concluded  its  ses- 
sions he  had  Ijeen  hurriedly  summoned  to  the 
Provinces  for  an  operation.  On  his  way  to  the 
station  he  had  called  at  the  St.  Enoch's  Hotel, 
helping  to  see  Jean,  only  to  learn  that  she  had 
suddenly  departed,  and  it  was  not  until  his  return 


The  Mystery  of  Love 


i6i 


that  at  the  closing  banquet  of  the  Association  he 
had  learned  from  Mrs.  Maciaren  that  Jean  had 
gone  up  to  London  with  Mrs.  Webster  and 
would  not  be  back,  as  she  intended  to  join  them 
at  Liverpool  on  the  day  of  sailing. 

Upon  entering  her  stateroom,  Jean's  eye  .spietl 
a  large  box.  which  was  filled  with  magnificent 
roses,  together  with  a  spray  of  white  heather,  to 
which  was  attached  the  card  of  Angus  MacLeod. 
M.  D.,  with  the  words  written  across  it,  "Dinna 
forget  auld  Scotia." 

As  she  pinned  this  sprig  of  white  heather  on 
her  gown  she  said  to  herself,  "Too  bad  I  did  not 
meet  him  again." 

Up  to  this  time  in  her  life  the  thought  of  really 
falling  in  love  had  never  entered  her  mind,  but 
at  that  moment  a  wonderful  emotion  thrilled 
her  soul,  as  she  seemed  to  realize,  for  the  first 
time,  what  love  might  be — that  emotion,  which 
is  as  old  as  the  ages  and  yet  ever  as  new  as  the 
morning.  Not  that  she  consciously  l'jve<l  any 
one.  but  she  seemed  to  divine,  in  this  spray  of 
heather,  the  mysterious  yearning  of  a  human 
heart,  and  had  Doctor  MacLefxl  Ijeen  present  at 
that  moment  to  plead  his  cause,  under  the  spell  of 
this  ecstasy,  her  heart  might  have  consented  to  his 
appeal.    But  he  was  not  present,  and  the  ^teanier 


1 62     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

sailed  away.  It  carried  lur  far  away,  and  condi- 
tions entirely  new  entered  into  her  life  before 
thev  were  destined  to  met  again. 


n 


ANCr.S  M.XCLEOD,  M.I). 


It  was  the  early  aiitiinin.  and  the  maple  trees 
that  graced  the  Iwulevards  of  Maplcton,  touched 
with  the  first  frosts,  had  assumed  all  the  colors 
of  the  rainbow.  The  City  with  its  beauti- 
ful residences  and  wide  lawns  was  always  at- 
tractive, and  now  it  appeared  at  its  best. 

Indeed,  it  presented  an  appearance  of  more 
than  ordinary  attractiveness  to  an  alert  young 
man,  with  a  pronounced  Scottish  accent,  who 
stepped  briskly  up  to  the  office  in  the  Maple  Leaf 
Hotel  and  signed  the  name  of  Angus  MacLeod, 
M.D..  Glasgow. 

Sounding  the  bell,  which  echoed  sharply 
throughout  the  corridors,  the  clerk  said,  "Show 
this  gentleman  up  to  Xo.  73." 

The  following  morning  as  Mrs,  Maclaren  and 
her  husband  were  seated  at  the  table  in  the  break- 
fast room.  Bridget  entered  with  the  morning 
paper  and  a  bundle  of  letters.    Giving  the  letters 


The  Mystery  of  Love 


163 


to  the  DifCtor,  she  handed  the  paper  to  his  wife. 
Glancing  down  the  local  news  coKimn.  she  ex- 
claimed with  a  titter,  "Well,  I  never— I  told  you 

ft 

so. 

"Why.  what  is  it,  Alice?"  asked  her  husband. 

"Listen."  and  then  she  read  aloud  the  folKnv- 

ing  item : 

"Among  the  distinguishcil  arrivals  at  the  "Maple  Lcif 
last  evening  was  Doctor  Angus  MacLeod,  of  Glasgow 
Dr.  MacLeod,  in  a  brief  interview,  expressed  himself  as 
delighted  with  Canada,  which,  with  the  keen  appreciation 
of  the  Scotch,  he  regards  as  a  land  of  except!  rial  oppur 
tunities,  especially  for  thns-  desiring  to  tstatilish  new 
homes.  Dr.  MacLeod,  who  1-  on  his  way  to  the  I'aLitir 
Coast,  will  spend  somi    days  in  Mapletrjn  and  vicinity  ' 

"Angus  Macl-eod."  exclaimed  the  Doctor. 
"Well,  I'm  so  glad.  He's  such  a  lovely  fellow.  I 
wdl  call  in  and  see  him  on  my  way  to  the  nffict- 
Can't  we  have  him  in  to  ditmer  t<j-night'  \<>u 
better  arrange  this.  Alice.  Get  Jean  and  s'ttk- 
others,  you  know." 

"I'll  just  call  Jean  up  right  away  and  ask  if 
she  knows  that  he  is  here."  replied  .Mrs.  Mac- 
laren. 

"If  she  doesn't  she  -xm  will.  .Xngus  is  not  the 
kind  to  let  the  gra^s  yrow  under  his  feet."  said 
the  Doctor,  as  he  lei'   for  his  office. 

Doctor    Maclareii    had    judged    correctly,    f^r 


164     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


that  afterncHjn,  Doctor  Angus  MacLeod  made  his 
way  to  the  "Kims." 

For  some  years  after  Jean  St.  Claire  s  father 
had  left  Glasgow  he  had  lived  in  Virginia,  and 
subse(|ucntly  taking  up  his  alxxle  in  Mapleton,  he 
had  buiii  a  beautiful  home  which  he  had  modeled 
after  the  type  of  those  noble  mansions  so  dear 
U)  the  people  of  that  "Old  Dominion." 

This  stately  house  with  its  broad  verandas 
was  surrounded  by  sweeping  lawns,  whose  velvety 
surface  was  diversified  by  Howers  and  shrubs 
and  tall  elm  trees,  which  with  their  slender 
branches  cast  long  shadows  across  it,  and  very 
Ijeautiful  indeed  did  it  appear  to  Angus  Mac- 
Leod, that  afternoon,  as  he  approached  the  iron 
}^ate  which  guarded  its  entrance. 

.\s  he  advanced  up  the  gravel  walk  which  led 
from  the  gate  to  the  front  doo»,  Jean  he.self 
appeared  coming  round  the  corner  of  the  house, 
from  the  conservatory,  carrying  a  bunch  of  newly 
plucked  violets  in  her  hand.  Very  charming  and 
radiant  did  she  look  that  afternoon  dressed  in 
white. 

MacLeod's  heart  throblied  with  an  unusual 
excitement,  as,  raising  his  hat,  he  said,  "I'm  very 
glad  to  meet  you  again,  Miss  St.  Claire — very 
glad,  indeed." 


The  Mystery  of  Loi'C 


t65 


"Oh,  Dr.  MacLc(Kl."  exclaimed  Jean,  cordially 
extending  a  hard  of  welcome,  "where  did  you 
ever  come  from?  This  is  a  most  unexpected 
pleasure — Grandmother  will  be  so  glad  to  meet 
you — she  has  so  often  spoken  of  you — you  know, 
I  told  her  how  much  you  were  devoted  to  Abcr- 
feldy — which  is  the  dearest  place  in  all  the  worUl 
to  her." 

MacLeod's  feelings  were  mingled  as  he  re- 
plied, "Ves,  that's  a  lovely  spot,  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  in  the  Highlands,  so  full  of  romantic 
associations;  what  was  it  Burns  said  alxjut  it, 

'"I^t  fortune's  gifts  at  random  flee 
They  ne'er  shall  draw  a  wish  frae  mc. 
Supremely  blessed  wi'  love  and  thee 
In  the  birks  of  Aberfcldy." 

"Father  was  a  great  lover  of  Burns,"  replied 
Jean,  as  together  they  entered  the  liouse. 

Old  Mrs.  St.  Claire  grasped  MacLeod  warmly 
by  the  hands  and  bade  him  a  true  Highland  wel- 
come to  the  "Elms."  As  a  girl  she  had  played 
among  the  biiks  of  .\berfeldy,  and  one  of  her 
famous  stories,  which  she  used  to  recite  to  Jean 
and  her  sister,  when  as  children  she  tucked  them 
away  in  bed  for  the  night,  was  alx>ut  the  never- 
to-be-forgotten  time  in  her  own  girlhood  days, 
when  a  strange  man  had  comt  rushing  on  horse- 


li:' 


i66    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

back  into  Aberfeldy  after  midnight  and  awaken- 
ing the  i)eople  had  hurriedly  informed  them  that 
McCiicyne  was  to  preach  the  following  day  in 
a  neighboring  glen,  and  that  her  father  and 
mother  at  daybreak  had  started  out  on  foot  with 
many  others  to  be  present  at  that  service. 

MacLeod,  whose  own  home  had  been  at  Aljer- 
fcldy,  greatly  rejoiced  the  old  lady's  heart  as  he 
minutely  described  these  happy  scenes  of  her 
childhood.  Nor  was  Jean's  interest  less  intense 
as  Dr.  MacLeod  described  to  her  the  method  by 
which  Robert  Koch  had  successfully  discovered 
the  "bacillus  of  tuberculosis,"  and  her  heart 
thrilled  with  sympathy  when  Dr.  MacLeod  added 
that  it  had  for  years  been  his  passion  to  advance 
medical  efficiency,  by  devoting  at  least  a  part  of 
his  time  to  the  work  of  original  research. 

"There  is  no  nobler  work  in  all  the  world,"  e.\- 
claimed  Jean,  'r'ather  was  deeply  interested  in 
it.  and  fre(|uently  remarked  that  he  could  wish 
he  was  just  beginning  his  medical  career  instead 
of  closing  it.  He  always  insisted  that  the  next 
<|uarter  century  would  startle  the  world  with  its 
discoveries  in  Biology." 

"I  shall  have  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you  again 
this  evening,  at  Doctor  Maclaren's,"  said  Dr. 
MacLco<l  to  Jean,  as  he  reluctantly  took  leave  of 


The  Mystery  of  Love 


167 


her  that  afternoon. 

"Mrs.  Maclaren's  dinners  are  famous,"  replied 
Jean,  "and  you  will  probably  meet  some  charm- 
ing Canadian  girls  as  well,"  and  then  she  added, 
"you  know  we  are  all  ciuite  proud  of  Miss 
Canada." 

"I  am  not  surprised,"  replied  Maclx;(xl,  and 
with  his  large  gray  eyes  he  looked  intf)  her  face 
and  added,  "any  one  who  wouldn't  be  filled  with 
admiration  for  them  would  surely  be  daft." 

"He's  a  lovely  man,"  remarked  old  Mrs.  St. 
Claire  to  Jean  as  she  reentered  the  room,  "and 
your  father  would  have  been  delighted  indeed 
10  know  him.  He  is  so  lofty  in  his  purposes  and 
he  was  born  in  .Aberfeldy."  and  with  a  tender 
tone  in  her  voice  as  gentle  memories  of  the  past 
filled  her  heart,  she  repeated  the  word.  ".Aber- 
feldy." sighing.  ".\h.  me!" 

The  days  of  Dr.  MacLeod's  sojourn  in  Maple- 
ton  seemed  to  him  to  have  wings. 

The  Maclaren  dinner  was  only  the  beginning 
of  a  series  of  receptions  and  entertainments, 
which  were  arranged  in  his  honor. 

The  mornings  were  passed  on  the  Golf  Links, 
the  afternoons  in  motoring,  and  the  evenings  in 
the  delightful  homes  of  Mapleton.  chiefly  at  the 
Maclarens'.  the  MacC.regors'  or  the  St.  Claires'. 


m 


"•f-^ 


IP  ■} 


168     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Deinl 

Miiir,  who  had  been  present  on  more  than  one 
occasion,  was  most  gracious  to  all.  He  and  Dr. 
MacLeod  sat  together  in  Dr.  Maclaren's  den  one 
night  and  exchanged  reminiscences  of  Edinburgh 
with  rare  enjoyment. 

"You  remember  Professor  Chailes  Snodgrass, 
the  great  Edinburgh  surgeon,"  said  MacLeod  to 
Muir,  on  one  of  these  occasions. 

"A  great  surgeon  he  was  but  a  wee  bit 
pompous.  It  is  told  of  him  that  having  been 
called  out  of  the  City  to  perform  an  operation, 
he  "placed  upon  the  door  of  his  classroom  the 
notice.  'Dr.  Professor  Snodgrass  will  not  meet 
his  classes  until  Friday  aftemoon.  having  been 
stnnmoned  to  Glen  Dochart.  to  perform  a  critical 
operation."  Well — some  wag  of  a  student  had  the 
audacity  to  in.scribe  undemeath  the  words.  'Xo 
wreaths,  no  Rowers.'  " 

"That  was  not  half  as  bad  as  what  happet^ed 
to  Graham,"  said  Dr.  Maclaren,  "who  having  an- 
nounced to  his  class  one  day  that  he  had  been 
appointed  physician  to  the  Queen,  the  students 
rose  en  masse  and  sang  'Gcxl  Save  the  Queen.'  " 

The  Maclarens  and  St.  Claires  and  Mac- 
Gregors,  as  well  as  Muir,  greatly  enjoyed  these 
evenings  together,  but  at  the  close  of  a  delight- 
ful night,  spent  at  the  St.  Claires',  on  their  way 


The  Mystery  of  Love 


169 


home,  Mrs.  Maclaren  said  to  her  husband,  "What 
was  the  matter  with  Muir  to-night?" 

"Why?"  asked  the  Doctor. 

"Well,  he  seemed  to  be  so  absent-minded;  he 
called  me  Mrs.  MacGregor  twice  and  then  he 
started  away  home  without  his  overcoat  and  had 
to  return  for  it." 


A  few  days  later  the  train  bore  Dr.  Angus 
MacLeod  away  from  Mapleton. 

The  night  before  his  departure  he  had  spent 
the  evening  with  Jean  St.  Claire.  Dinner  being 
over,  he  had  suggested  to  her  that  they  should 
take  a  walk  in  the  garden.  T'le  moonlight 
streaming  through  the  elm  branches,  which  were 
gently  swayed  by  the  evening  breeze,  covered 
iheir  pathway  with  fitful  lights  and  shadows. 
Angus  MacLeod  had  left  Scotland  full  of  hope 
and  happiness,  at  the  prospect  of  finding  Jean  and 
winning  her  love,  but  for  the  last  day  or  two 
doubts  had  crept  into  his  heart.  He  could  not 
understand  why.  but  he  had  not  seemed  to  make 
any  progress.  Jean,  while  exceedingly  kind  and 
gracious  to  him.  had  carefully  avoided  giving  him 
any  ieas(jn  to  think  that  she  regarded  him  with 
other  feelings  than  those  of  a  friend  whom  she 
admired  and  rf>p«.(  tod. 


I/O    Tlic  U'orii,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

That  (lay,  however,  he  had  resolved  that  he 
could  not  endure  this  agitation  and  susjMinse  any 
longer,  and,  as  they  strolled  up  and  down  the 
walk  in  the  garden,  he  had  at  last  ventured  to 
tell  her  all  that  was  in  his  heart. 

lie  confided  to  her  the  story  of  the  love  that 
had  filled  his  heart  at  the  time  of  their  first 
meeting  in  (llasgow— of  his  great  disappointment 
in  not  having  seen  her  again  hefore  she  had  sailed 
home— of  how  his  tlinughts  had  gone  with  her, 
and  of  iiow  he  had  impatiently  counted  the  days, 
until  he  too  could  follow  her  to  her  far  away 
home  across  the  sea — of  how  upon  meeting  her 
again  his  love  had  increased  in  tenderness  antl 
strength.  .\s  he  concluded  this  passionate  out- 
pouring n\  his  heart,  he  stopped  at  a  turn  in  the 
walk,  and  looked  her  directly  in  the  face.  She 
j^tood  and  looki'<l  at  him  in  silence.  Her  lips 
tremhled  in  the  moonlight,  and  it  .seemed  as 
though  she  could  not  utter  a  word. 

lie  had  hoped  to  see  her  face  illuminated  with 
love  and  happiness,  hut  instead  of  this  her  fea- 
tures were  drawn  and  pale. 

He  nioanetl — "jean.  Jean,  don't  you  love  me — 
don't  you  love  me?" 

.\t  length,  she  took  his  hand  in  hers,  and  gently 
placing  her  other  hand   upon  his  arm,   replied: 


The  Mystery  of  Love 


171 


"Angus,  this  is  impossible — this  can  never  he." 
He  was  too  much  of  a  gentleman  to  insist  upon 
her  giving  her  rcas(jn.  Late  that  night,  after 
walking  far  out  into  tiie  country,  he  had  returned 
to  his  room  in  the  hotel  and  packed  up  his  grips, 
murmuring  to  himself,  "She  loves  some  one  else 
— happy  man,  whoever  he  may  he." 

That  night  Jean  slipped  noiselessly  back  into 
the  house  and  went  (|uickly  t(-  her  room,  but  n(»t 
to  sleep.  Slipping  on  her  dressing  gown,  she  sat 
down  by  the  open  window  and  looking  out  over 
the  moonlit  garden,  she  kept  saying  to  herself. 
"Why?    Why?    Why?" 

She  acknowledged  to  herself  that  she  had  ad- 
mired him  as  a  man,  that  she  had  been  deeply  in- 
terested in  his  plans  as  a  physician,  but  she  knew 
that  she  did  not  love  him.  She  knew  also  that 
the  Macflregors  and  Maclarens  fully  expected 
that  she  would  marry  him,  and  then  her  (Jrand- 
niother  had  constantly  spoken  of  him  so  fondly, 
and  she  realized  that  they  would  all  be  disap- 
pointed. Then  as  the  remembrance  of  the  in- 
tense look  of  anguish  ujum  his  face  came  before 
her  tears  ran  dt)wn  her  cheeks,  and  this  night, 
which  might  have  been  the  happiest  of  her  life, 
had  proved  the  most  wretched.  .\s  she  searched 
everywhere  in  her  bean  for  a  reason,  the  face 


1'4- 


172     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

of  Muir  seemed  to  come  Ijefore  her  in  a  vision 
and,  as  she  looked  into  his  eyes,  she  murmured, 
"Oh,  I  know,  my  heart  is  his!" 

Then,  walking  up  and  down  her  room,  her 
heart  was  torn  with  conflicting  emotions,  "I  love 
him,  I  love  him.  but  he  has  never  thought  of  me ; 
he  loves  his  work,  it  fills  his  heart,  it  satisfies 
his  life."  And  again  the  why!  why!  came  to  her 
lips. 

Then  sitting  down  again  beside  the  open  win- 
dow, she  said,  "So  this  is  love!  T  thought  that 
love  was  a  palace  of  delights,  of  dawns  and  sun- 
rise and  singing  birds,  of  flowers  and  perfume 
and  songs  of  joy,  but  love  is  pain,  love  is  anguish, 
love  is  death."  Then,  as  the  pale  light  of  a  new 
day  broke  over  the  eastern  sky  she  fell  into  a 
troubled  sleep. 


Ill 


THE  REVEREND  JAMES  MUIR 


Mrs.  Maclaren  had  not  spoken  without  cause 
when  she  remarked  to  her  husband  that  Muir 
seemed  particularly  absent-minded.  Indeed, 
could  she  have  seen  him.  as  he  sat  late  into 
the   night,    staring   into   his   study   fire,   whose 


'^^:^ '  'm^  ''y^'^rrf- 


I  '■   ■^' 


The  Mystery  of  Love  ly^ 

dying  embers  appeared  to  reflect  his  own  heart's 
experience,  she  would  have  understood  the  cause 
of  his  mental  absorption. 

P'or  weeks  he  had,  all  unknown  to  Mrs.  Mac- 
Gregor,  or  indeed  to  any  of  the  members  of 
St.  Giles,  been  passing  through  an  experience 
of  unspeakable  inward  conflict.  Nor  did  he  con- 
ceal from  himself  that  this  issue  cf^ncerned  the 
supreme  passion  of  his  very  life. 

He  had  met  Jean  St.  Claire  shortly  after  his 
arrival  in  Mapleton.  and  he  had  fallen  desperately 
in  love  with  her.  For  long  he  had  endeavored 
to  suppress  this  passion.  With  his  exalted  ideals 
of  the  ministry,  he  felt  almost  guilty  to  concede 
even  to  himself  that  his  heart  should  have 
prompted  him  to  entertain  like  feelings  of  love 
toward  a  member  of  his  flock.  Not  that,  in  prin- 
ciple, he  I>elievcd  in  the  celibacy  of  the  clergy,  but 
it  seemed  to  him  that  in  going  aruund  his  Parish 
he  ought  not  to  entertain  towards  any  of  his 
people  sentiments  other  than  spiritual.  Thus  far, 
he  had  heroically  controlled  this  emotion  even  if 
he  could  not  declare  to  himself  ihat  he  had  been 
able  to  banish  it  tcjtallv  from  his  thouLdits 

He  had  inferred,  moreover,  from  a  word 
dropped  by  .Mrs  Maclaren.  that  Jean's  affecti(jns 
were  probably  engaged  elsewhere,  and  with  the 


;Ci1 


■i' 


174    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

coming  of  MacLeod  to  Mapleton  there  was  but 
little  doubt  left  in  his  mind  that  Jean's  fate  had 
l)ecn  finally  sealed. 

The  Sunday  succeeding  MacLeoil's  departure, 
Jean  did  not  appear  in  her  usual  pew  in  the 
Kirk.  It  was  said  that  she  had  not  been  well. 
Early  in  the  week  he  had  called  at  the  St.  Claires' 
expecting  to  find  her  radiant  with  happiness,  even 
though  indisptjj^ed  in  body,  but  to  his  great  sur- 
prise he  discovered  that  she  looked  like  one  who 
had  recently  passed  through  an  experience  of 
most  intense  mental  suffering. 

She  greeted  him  with  a  certain  shyness  and 
reserve,  such  as  he  had  never  witnessed  in  her 
before.  He  longed  to  fathom  the  cause  of  her 
apparent  trouble,  but  there  was  a  something  in 
the  atmosphere  that  seemed  to  erect  an  impossi- 
ble barrier  between  them.  On  his  way  home, 
endeavor  as  he  might  to  unravel  the  circum- 
stances, he  simply  could  not  fathom  this  mystery. 
The  last  time  he  had  seen  MacLeod  and  Jean 
together  they  had  appeared  so  happy,  but  now 
MacLeod  was  gone  and  his  name  had  not  even 
been  menti(Micd  either  by  Jean  or  by  her  Cirand- 
mother.  Mrs  St.  Claire.  What  could  have  hap- 
pened? He  could  not  imagine  that  any  trifling 
misunderstanding  had  precipitated  a  rupture  be- 


The  Mystery  of  Love 


175 


tween  them.  He  was  sure  that  MacLeod  had 
loved  Jean.  No  one  who  had  seen  them  t<igether 
would  have  doubted  this  for  a  moment,  nor  did 
he  have  any  reason  to  conclude  that  Jean  had 
not  returned  the  affection  of  him  whose  sudden 
departure  had  seemed  to  coincide  with  Jean's 
unexpected  illness. 

Hour  after  hour  he  revolved  this  problem  in 
his  mind.  "Why  did  MacLeod  leave  so  sud- 
denly?"—"Why  all  this  change  in  Jean?"  But 
the  solution  baffled  all  his  attempts,  analyze  the 
circumstances  as  he  might.  Moreover,  Mrs. 
MacGregor,  who  loved  Jean  so  devotedly  and 
who  had  many  a  time  spoken  of  her  to  him.  was 
now  mysteriously  silent!  Nor  did  the  connng 
days  and  weeks  afford  his  mind  any  clue. 
Finally,  one  day  at  dinner,  Mrs.  MacGregor  an- 
nounced that  Jean  St.  Claire  was  going  abroad. 

".Ah,"  said  Muir,  "will  she  be  married  abroad?" 
and  then  he  bit  his  lip.  for  the  question  had 
slipped  out  really  before  he  had  considered. 

"No,"  answered  Mrs.  MacGregor,  "she's  goin' 
ow'er  ta  Germany,  ta  study  airt.  There's  some 
freens  o'  her  faither's  ow'er  there  frae  New 
York,  an'  she  expec's  ta  spend  sf)me  months  wi' 
them,  but  A'll  miss  her  sair,"  and  so  saying  she 
heaved  a  deep  si^h.    "She's  no  l)een  hersel  o'  late 


I    i 


1 76    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

an'  A'  caiina  tnak  <)ot  what's  tha  maitter  wi'  her." 

"Pr()l)al)ly  it's  MacLeod,"  Muir  ventured  and 
then  stopped  himself. 

"Xa,  na,  it's  no  MacLeod — he  was  a  douce 
chiel,  but  Jean  didna  lose  her  hert  ta  him." 

As  Mrs.  MacGregor  uttered  these  words, 
Muir's  heart  gave  a  bound.  Going  upstairs  to 
his  study,  he  asked  himself  might  there  be  hope 
for  him  after  all. 

The  evening  before  Jean  left  Mapleton  for 
Germany  she  and  Muir  had  taken  informal  din- 
ner at  the  Maclarens',  and  as  the  Doctor,  who  had 
be<Mi  called  to  a  case,  had  not  returned  when  the 
hour  arrived  for  them  to  leave,  Mrs.  Maclaren 
said  to  Muir,  "Mr.  Muir,  will  yuu  kindly  see 
Miss  St.  Claire  home  to-night?" 

"I  shall  be  delighted,  indeed,"  replied  Muir. 

,\s  they  passed  under  the  electric  light  which 
was  suspended  from  a  high  post  that  stood  near 
the  gate  of  the  "Elms,"  Muir  remarked  that  he 
was  anticipating  spending  his  vacation  in  Europe 
the  ftdlowing  summer,  and  that  he  hoped  he 
might  have  the  gcMjd  fortune  to  meet  her  at  that 
time  in  Germany.  Saying  these  words,  their  eyes 
met  for  a  moment,  it  was  only  a  moment,  but 
ill  that  moment  their  hearts  ex|)erienced  a  mys- 
terious anil  undefined  emotion. 


CIIAPTKk  XV 


THE  ALT.D  KIRK  O'  ST.  (-ILES 


ST.  GILES 

'flT'ITH  the  coming  of  the  Reverend  James 
~"  Muir,  the  auld  Kirk  of  St.  (lile-  had  entered 
upon  a  new  chapter  in  its  history.  The  conver- 
sion of  David  Bruce  had  stirred  the  young  men 
of  the  City  and  not  only  was  the  influence  of  this 
great  change  in  his  Hfe  felt  among  the  members 
of  the  Stag  Club,  which  had  now  become  "The 
Mapleton  Glee  Club,"  but  also  among  other  men 
who  had  hitherto  not  manifested  any  personal  in- 
terest in  religion.  James  Muir,  quick  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  this  new  and  serious  feeling  in  the 
church  and  City,  had  organized  at  the  psychologi- 
cal moment  a  Bible  Association  which  gathered 
into  its  membership  scores  of  the  young  men. 
The  Glee  Club,  moved  by  a  new  social  conscience, 
earnestly  supported  his  efforts,  and  at  each  meet- 
in 


.<r:...'>r-'^v^^gr^ 


MICROCOPY   RESOLUTION   TEST   CHART 

(ANSI  and  ISO  TEST  CHART  No.  2) 


1.0 


I.I 


150 


3.2 

1^ 


2.5 
Z2 

2.0 


1.8 


A  ^IPPLIED  IM^GE     Inc 

^—i  1653   East    Ma(n   Street 

S-^S:  Roctiestef.    t^ew   York         14609       USA 

'-i^  (716)    482  -  0300  -  Phr.ne 

^^  (716)   288  -  5989  -  Fcx 


178    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


S 


ing  of  the  Bible  Association  took  full  charge  of 
the  music.  The  Sunday  previous  to  the  winter 
Sacrament,  after  many  of  the  men  had  con- 
fessed their  desire  to  enter  upon  the  Christian 
life,  the  Glee  Club  concluded  one  of  the  most 
memorable  men's  meetings  ever  held  in  St.  Giles 
by  singing  the  words  of  the  psalm  to  the  tune 
of  St.  George's  Edinburgh,  in  the  singing  of 
which  all  the  members  of  the  class  heartily  united. 

"Ye  gates   lift  up   your  heads  on  high; 
Ye  doors  that  last  for  aye 
Be  lifted  up  that  so  the  king 
Of  glory  enter  may." 

Surely  upon  that  day  the  King  of  Glory,  in  all 
the  plenitude  of  his  glorious  power,  had  entered 
through  the  open  doors  of  many  human  hearts, 
and  the  effects  of  this  great  spiritual  awakening 
among  the  men  of  Mapleton  were  far-reaching. 
The  saloons  were  gradually  deserted,  and  for 
lack  of  customers  many  of  them  were  compelled 
to  close  t'  ir  doors.  Young  men  who  used  to 
spend  their  evenings  in  the  questionable  atmos- 
phere of  these  barrooms  were  now  to  be  found  in 
the  Club  Rooms  of  the  new  Curling  Rink,  where, 
after  a  roaring  game,  topped  off  with  a  large  cup 
of  Walter  Scot's  best  coffee  and  an  appetizing 
lunch,  they  returned  to  their  homes,  in  the  best 


The  Anld  Kirk  o'  St.  Giles        179 

of  spirits,  ready  for  a  good  night's  sleep  and  with 
faculties  unimpaired,  to  resume  their  several 
duties  on  the  following  day. 

While  there  still  remained  some  men  in  this 
City  who  continued  in  their  cups,  yet  even  these 
began  to  feel  that  this  form  of  conviviality  was 
no  longer  regarded  as  respectable  by  the  best  peo- 
ple, so  that  their  numbers  gradually  diminished 
and.  in  all  essential  respects,  Mapleton  came  to 
be  regarded  as  a  dry  city. 

Not  that  Muir  had  ever  preached  a  prohibition 
sermon,  but  somehow,  under  the  influence  of  his 
life  and  preaching,  coupled  with  the  peculiar  re- 
spect of  that  influence  exerted  by  the  conversion 
of  David  Bruce,  a  great  moral  change  had  taken 
place  in  the  circles  of  the  men. 

The  bell  of  St.  Giles  was  heard  far  over  the 
homes  ot  the  people.  But  farther  than  the  sounds 
of  its  chimes,  and  more  impressive  by  far,  was 
the  influence  exerted  by  its  membership  in  pro- 
moting good  citizenship. 


II 


THE  BEADLE  OF   ST.   GILE.S 


The  beadle  of  St.  Giles  was  well  known  as  a 
"town  character."     I'or  upwards  of  half  a  cen- 


i8o    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


tury  he  had  exercised  his  authority  within  St. 
Giles  over  preacher  and  people  alike,  and  few 
indeed  there  were  who  ventured  to  take  liberties 
with  Thomas  \Visliart,  as  he  was  called,  in  those 
matters  pertaining  more  immediately  to  his  office. 

F  r  years  previous  to  Muir's  pastorate  the  said 
Thomas  had  been  a  keen  critic  of  the  preceding 
minister,  who  had  mortally  ofifended  him  upon 
the  first  day  of  his  ministry  by  manifesting  some 
lack  of  deference. 

The  elders  were  accustomed  to  tell  the  initiated 
of  b.ow,  after  this  unfortunate  episode,  Thomas, 
drawing  himself  up  to  the  full  height  of  his  dig- 
nity, had  with  grave  solemnity  declared  to  Muir's 
predecessor,  "Mr.  Campbell — I  was  in  charge  of 
this  pulpit  for  years  before  you  ever  set  foot  in 
it  and  I  shall  be  in  charge  of  this  pulpit  long  after 
you  have  gone  from  it."  Sure  enough,  this  bon 
mot  of  the  said  Thomas  had  proved  correct. 
Ho^ .  ever,  Muir  happened  to  be  a  minister  whose 
doctrine  and  methods  had  both  been  favorably  re- 
ceived by  Thomas  from  the  first,  and  shortly  after 
Muir's  induction,  Th  >mas  was  reported  to  have 
replied  to  some  one  who  inquired  of  him  as  to 
his  opinion  of  the  new  minister,  in  the  briei  but 
sententious  words,  "Elijah's  come,"  and  after 
some  months  had  elapsed  in  which  a  great  awak- 


The  Auld  Kirk  o'  St.  Giles        i8i 

ening  had  taken  place  in  St.  Giles  this  oracle  took 
the  opportunity   to   remark   again   to   the   same 

party,  "Mr.  ,  I  tokl  you  that  Elijah  had 

come." 


Ill 


HECTOR   MACKAki.ANE 


It  was  the  custom  in  St.  Giles  for  all  those  who 
desired  admission  to  the  full  membership  of  the 
Kirk  to  appear  in  person  before  the  Session  and 
there  to  give  evidence  to  the  elders  that  they  were 
fit  and  proper  persons  to  be  received  into  the  mem- 
bership of  the  Kirk. 

Needless  to  say,  some  candidates  were  rejected. 
The  elders  were  seriously  disposed  men,  who  mag- 
nified their  office,  and  upon  such  occasions  they 
were  accustomed  to  put  such  questions  to  the 
candidates  as  would  reveal  to  the  Court  as  well 
as  to  the  candidates  themselves  their  true  spir- 
itual condition. 

On  one  such  occasion  an  incident  occurred  that 
Muir  was  never  likely  afterwards  to  forget. 

Hector  MacFarlane,  an  old  Highlander,  who 
lived  in  the  Highland  Settlement  some  six  miles 
out  of  Mapleton,  came  to  the  decision  in  his  own 


1 82     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


mind  that  having  passed  the  three  score  and  ten 
mark,  it  was  high  time  that  he  should  take  this 
step.  His  life  had  been  passed  in  that  rural  dis- 
trict, in  which  he  had  been  regarded  as  a  kind 
of  "Witch  Doctor."  He  was  certainly  a  strange 
character.  He  had  the  reputation  of  having, 
upon  several  occasions,  inserted  quicksilver  into 
the  cows'  horns,  as  a  sure  means  of  preventing 
the  milk  going  sour.  Among  the  elders  of  St. 
Giles  he  was  not  regarded  as  a  religious  man. 
However,  few  there  were  among  them  who  cared 
to  take  him  to  task,  for  he  bore  the  reputation  of 
being  mighty  in  debate.  Dressed  in  a  new  suit 
of  black  broadcloth,  he  presented  himself  before 
the  Session  and  stated  that,  being  now  up  in 
years,  he  desired  to  be  received  into  the  member- 
ship of  the  Kirk. 

Muir  listened  to  his  statement  and  then  turning 
to  the  elders,  said,  "Gentlemen,  you  have  heard 
Mr.  MacFarlane's  statement  and  request.  It  is 
your  privilege  now  to  satisfy  yourselves  as  to 
his  fitness  to  be  received  by  this  Court  into  the 
membership  of  St.  Giles.  Perhaps  you  would 
like  to  ask  Mr.  MacFarlane  some  questions." 
After  a  silence  of  several  minutes  one  of  the  eld- 
ers finally  said,  "Yes.  I  would  like  to  ask  Mr. 
MacFarlane   a   question,"    and   then    continued, 


The  Atild  Kirk  o   St.  Giles        183 


"Hector — I  should  say,  Mr.  MacFarlane — what 
are  your  views  on  the  subject  of  prayer?" 

Old  Hector  cleared  his  throat  and  then  replied 
sotnething  after  the  following  manner: 

"Meenister  and  elders  o'  tha  Coort — A'  nae  na 
mony  views  o'  tha  subjec'  o'  prayer,  but  A'U  jist 
tell  ye  hoo  it  iss  wi'  me :  When  A'  gaes  ta  ma  bed, 
if  A'm  sayin'  tha  prayers,  A'  jist  kneels  doon  and 
says,  'Noo  A'  lay  me,'  an'  tha  rest  o'  it — an'  then 
if  A'm  no  ow'er  calt.  A'  says,  'Oor  Faither,'  and 
the  rest  o'  it,  an'  then  A'  whupps  inta  ma  bed  an' 
A'm  aye  gled  when  it's  a'  ow'er.  Noo,  Maister 
Moderator,  A'm  jist  thinkin'  that  ma  views  o'  tha 
subjec'  o'  prayer  may  no  be  maist  satisfaictory  ta 
tha  Coort,  but  A'm  wantin'  ta  jine  tha  Kirk  an' 
A'm  wullin'  ta  gie  evidences  o'  ma  abeelities,  an' 
if  tha  meenister  here  wuU  jist  name  ony  subjec' 
at  his  pleasure.  A'  wull  undertake  ta  argue  ony 
twa  o'  tha  elders." 

With  great  difficulty,  Muir  maintained  the  dig- 
nity of  the  Chair,  while  one  of  the  elders  soberly 
informed  Hector  that  he  had  entirely  misunder- 
stood what  was  required  of  those  who  could  be 
received  into  the  membership  of  the  Kirk ;  that  it 
was  not  his  argumentative  abilities  which  were 
under  examination,  but  his  spiritual  experience. 

As  old  Hector  left  the  session  room,  apparently 


1 84     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

rather  crestfallen,  Muir  shook  him  warmly  by  the 
hand  and  leading  him  to  the  door,  confided,  *'that 
St.  Paul,  who  had  written  at  least  one-third  of 
the  Xew  Testament,  was  a  man  of  outstanding 
argumentative  ability,  and  that  God  had  seen  fit 
to  l)ring  about  his  conversion,  so  that  the  church 
might  for  all  times  to  come  enjoy  the  benefits  of 
his  strong  arguments  in  defense  of  the  faith  once 
delivered  to  the  saints,  and  then  he  asked  Hector 
to  go  back  to  the  Settlement  and  announce  that 
there  would  be  a  weekly  service  conducted  by  the 
Minister  of  St.  Giles,  each  Thursday  night,  in 
the  School  House."  So  it  came  to  pass  that  in 
due  time  old  Hector  MacFarlane,  having  been 
instructed  in  the  Word,  was  able  to  give  to  the 
elders  satisfactory  evidence  of  the  faith  that  was 
in  him.  To  his  dyi'-^  day,  however.  Hector  was 
accustomed  to  tell  his  neighbors  that  Maister 
Muir  was  the  Godliest  Christian  he  had  ever 
been  privileged  to  know,  for  he — was — so — 
strong — in — argument. 


IV 


THE  SERVICE  OF  PRAISE 


The  Law  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  declares 
that,— 


The  Attld  Kirk  o'  St.  Giles        185 

"The  service  of  praise  is  under  the  direction  of 
the  session  and  subject  to  its  control." 

This  authority  was  jealously  guarded  by  the 
ciders  of  St.  Giles,  who  insisted  that  the  choir  and 
organ  should  not  be  permitted  to  monopolize  the 
praise  of  the  sanctuary,  and  so  it  happened  that 
St.  (jiles  was  noted  for  its  congregational  sing- 
ing. 

When  the  psalm  had  been  announced,  it  seemed 
as  though  every  voice  in  the  vast  assembly  of 
worshipers  was  vocal  in  the  praise  of  the  Most 
High. 

X<-t  long  after  Vernera  Pemberton  had  joined 
the  choir  of  St.  Giles,  a  petition,  bearing  the  sig- 
natures of  some  interested  parties,  was  addressed 
to  the  session,  praying  that  the  number  of  con- 
gregational singings  at  each  service  should  be 
reduced  from  four  to  three,  and  that  in  the  place, 
of  this  one  praise  selection,  the  choir  should  be 
requested  to  provide  a  solo.  This  petition  went 
on  tf»  say  that  the  church  was  fortunate  in  now 
having  in  its  choir  Miss  Vernera  Pemberton. 
whose  musical  culture  was  well  known  to  l>e  of 
a  high  order,  and  that  the  time  seemed  ripe  ti> 
introduce  into  the  service  of  praise  this  new  and 
attractive  feature. 

The  motion  made  by  one  of  the  younger  elders. 


i86     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

that  this  petition  be  granted,  did  not,  however, 
prevail. 

James  Burgess  was  upon  his  feet  at  once,  with 
blood  in  his  eye. 

He  argued  that  God  could  not  be  worshiped 
vicariously,  and  that  there  was  nothing,  to  his 
way  of  thinking,  more  incongruous  than  for  a 
congregation  to  pretend  they  were  worshiping 
God  when  they  were  listening  to  a  choir  perform- 
ing. That  while  such  performances  might  help 
the  oil  to  run  down  Aaron's  beard,  yet  grease 
was  not  grace  and  that  you  cannot  make  people 
Christians  by  pumping  wind  into  them. 

He  related  how,  on  his  recent  trip  to  an 
American  metropolis,  he  had  attended  one  of 
the  fashionable  churches,  which  was  famed  for 
the  excellence  of  its  choir. 

He  had  found  the  pews  more  than  half  empty, 
and  when  the  hymn  was  given  out,  scarcely  a 
voice  was  heard  in  the  pews.  The  choir  of  that 
church  was  paid  to  sing,  and  the  congregation 
was  busy  listening  to  see  whether  they  were  get- 
ting the  worth  of  their  money  or  not,  and  tlien, 
with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye,  he  told  the  story  of  how 
one  day  an  old  darky,  who  had  entered  the  door 
of  that  church  and  seated  himself  down  in  a  back 
pew,  being  thrilled  with  the  words  of  the  hymn. 


The  Auld  Kirk  o'  St.  Giles        187 


had  ventured  to  uplift  his  voice  in  the  praise  of 
God.  For  this  he  was  promptly  reproved  by  an 
usher,  who  had  told  him,  "to  keep  quiet  or  get 
out." 

"But,  Fse  got  religion,"  exclaimed  the  darky, 
"I  must  praise  de  Lor'." 

"You  keep  quiet,"  replied  the  usher,  "d'ye  un- 
derstand?" 

"I'se  got  religion — I'se  got  religion,"  pleaded 
the  darky. 

"Oh,  you  have,  eh?"  said  the  usher.  "Then 
yoa  get  out  of  here — this  is  no  place  for  you  to 
get  religion." 

After  a  moment's  pause,  during  which  the  dig- 
nified elders  had  knowingly  smiled  at  the  point  of 
Burgess'  story,  he  added,  "Moderator  and  Breth- 
ren, in  all  seriousness,  there  is  smi( thing  in  a 
crowd  singing  that  grips  the  very  • '  irds  *"  the 
soul.  Especially  when  the  tune  is  a-^socif* 
sacred  memories.  The  longer  I  live,  the  m 
I  convinced  of  the  value  of  hearty  congre^ 
singing,  and  it  will  be  a  happy  day  foi 
churches  when  they  regain  the  voice  of 
gregation. 

"The  best  music  is  none  too  good  f  .; 
worship  of  the  Most  High,  but  better  the 
cerity  and  simplicity  of  true  devotion,  render 


with 
e  am 
onal 

■r 


he 


1 88     The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 


with  a  cracked  voice,  than  the  most  elegant  mel- 
ody that  is  a'  soun'." 

Right  or  wrong,  the  words  of  James  Burgess 
convinced  the  elders  and  they  unanimously 
agreed  that  the  choir,  with  the  able  assistance  of 
Miss  Vernera  Peml>erton,  should  diligently  en- 
deavor to  cultivate  the  musical  talents  of  the 
whole  congregation,  to  the  end  that  the  praise  of 
Clod  should  resound  more  and  more  within  the 
sanctuary. 


CHAPTER  XVI 
LOVE  IS  VICTORY 

"Oh,  why  was  the  summer  so  sweet? 

"Iwas  made  of  dawns  and  of  calm  noontides 

And  Sunsets  where  colors  reside, 

The  beautiful  peace  of  the  deep  purple  night 

And  the  glorious  joy  of  Sunlight ; 

The  Friendship  of  Stars,  of  wind  and  of  trees. 

Good    comrades   indeed    were   these, 

The  sound  on  the  pane  of  the  sweet  gentle  rain 

'i  hat  comes  like  an  old  refrain. 

The  soft  night  breeze  that  sang  in  the  trees 

And  told  of  the  murmuring  sea; 

The  Love  in  your  eyes,  that  time  did  defy, 

' Twas  that  made  a  summer  for  me."  ' 


np  HE  Spiritual  awakening  that  had  shaken  the 
■*■    aukl  Kirk  of  St.  Giles,  during  the  first  year 
of  Muir's  ministry,  had  proved  to  l^e  of  enduring 
infiuence. 

Increasingly  St.  Giles  had  continued  to  exert 
a  steady  power  for  good  upon  the  City  of  iMaple- 
fon. 

•  From  "My  Soldier   Boy  and  Other  Poems,"  by    Mrs. 
John  Archibald  Morison.    The  Gorham  Press,  Boston. 

189 


U'i 


190    The  ^'orld,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

It  had  also  broadened  the  horizon  of  its  prac- 
tical Christian  activities  and  was  now  supporting 
a  missionary  in  India.  Formerly  the  people  of 
St.  Giles  had  regarded  missionary  work  as  a  per- 
missible sentiment;  now  it  was  recognized  by 
them  as  the  highest  type  of  Statesmanship;  m- 
deed,  i^.  missionary  zeal  and  liberality,  St.  Giles 
was  acknowledged  as  the  premier  church,  not  only 
of  the  Presbytery  of  Safford,  but  also  throughout 

the  entire  Synod. 

As  we  have  already  seen,  Jean  St.  Claire  had 
gone  abroad  to  Germany.  Her  absence  from 
Mapleton  had  created  a  blank,  not  only  in  the 
large  circle  of  young  people  among  whom  she 
was  exceedingly  popular,  but  it  had  also  proved  a 
source  of  keen  regret  to  two  people,  who,  in  dif- 
ferent ways,  were  entirely  devoted  to  her.  These 
were  Mrs.  John  MacGregor  and  the  Reverend 

James  Muir. 

The  latter  had  fallen  desperately  in  love  with 
her  and,  had  his  high  sense  of  devotion  to  his 
calling  not  imposed  upon  him  a  severe  self-repres- 
sion, he  would  doubtless,  like  many  another  man 
in  a  similar  state  of  mind,  have  made  avowal 
of  his  love.  As  it  was,  having  understood  from 
Mrs.  Maclaren  that  Jean's  affections  had  been 
engaged  elsewhere,  he  had  sternly  compelled  him- 


ifeg 


Love  is  Victory 


191 


self  to  all  the  agony  of  silence.  Nor  had  his  in- 
tuitions ever  revealed  to  him  that  Mrs.  Maclaren's 
judgment  in  this  respect  might  possibly  have  been 
unjustified  until  that  moment  when  his  eyes  had 
looked  into  Jean's,  on  the  last  night  of  their  meet- 
ing as  he  bade  her  good-by,  and  then  the  habit 
of  self-repression,  which  had  been  so  assiduously 
cultivated,  would  not  permit  him  to  tell  her  of 
what  was  uppermost  in  his  heart. 

The  summer  time  came  again  and  with  it  his 
annual  vacation.     He  resolved  to  follow  her  to 

Germany. 

Never  did  the  Saxon  Capital,  with  its  countless 
towers  and  minarets,  to  a  traveler  from  foreign 
lands,  appear  more  alluring  than  it  did  to  Muir 
as  he  drove  along  Prager  Strasse  from  Bahnhof 
to  the  Europaischer  Hof . 

That  night,  although  weary  with  the  long  and 
tedious  journey  by  rail  from  Paris,  for  hours 
sleep  refused  to  close  his  eyes.  At  last  he  was 
actually  in  the  same  city  which  contained,  among 
its  many  thousands,  that  one  and  only  one  who 
was  more  than  all  the  world  besides  to  him. 

He  reviewed  in  his  mind  the  circumstances  of 
their  last  meeting  and  tried  to  convince  himself 
that  the  momentary  look  which  he  had  caught  in 
her  eye  had  silently  suggested  her  love  for  him. 


192    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

At  any  rate,  upon  the  morrow  he  should  know. 

The  morrow  came,  and  in  the  forenoon  he 
sought  her  at  her  pension  on  Berg  Strasse,  only 
to  discover  that  she  had  gone,  as  was  her  habit, 
to  the  studio.  Thither  he  made  his  way,  and  there 
he  found  her  in  the  midst  of  her  work,  with  a  pro- 
fusion of  exquisite  specimens  of  the  Ceramic  Art 
which  her  deft  fingers  had  adorned. 

She  greeted  him  most  cordially,  and  inquired 
for  all  her  IMapleton  friends,  more  especially  for 
her  mother's  friend,  Mrs.  MacGregor. 

This  call  could  not,  under  the  circumstances, 
be  prolonged,  but  before  he  took  his  leave  she  had 
consented  to  accompany  him  that  night  to  the 
Royal  Opera. 

As  he  walked  back  to  the  Hotel  his  heart  oscil- 
lated between  hope  and  despair.  He  asked  him- 
self had  he  been  mistaken  after  all,  was  it  pos- 
sible that  Jean  St.  Claire  might  love  him?  He 
did  not  know,  for  even  although  rhe  must  have 
known  that  he  had  journeyed  all  the  way  from 
]\Iapleton  to  Dresden  for  the  one  and  only  pur- 
pose of  seeing  her,  yet  she  had  failed  to  let  one 
token  of  encouragement  drop  either  in  her  words 
or  look. 

The  evening  came  at  last  and  with  it  the  opera, 
which  happened  that  night  to  be  "Lohengrin." 


yfi-^':  m^-^  >■-■ 


Love  is  Victory 


193 


During  the  interval  between  the  second  and 
third  acts,  Muir  and  Jean  promenaded  in  the 
foyer,  and  just  before  they  returned  to  their  seats 
in  the  auditorium  he  suddenly  whispered  to  her 
that,  like  "Lohengrin,"  he,  too,  had  discovered 
his  Elsa,  and  when,  in  the  springtime,  the  swans 
should  again  appear  upon  the  waters  of  the  Iro- 
cjuois,  he  hoped  to  claim  her  as  his  bride. 

Saying  these  words,  he  quickly  led  the  way  to 
their  seats. 

Then  followed  the  third  act,  in  which  Elsa  ap- 
peared in  all  the  restless  agony  born  of  her  desire 
to  discover  the  name  of  her  lover. 

Muir  observed  that  Jean  was  strangely  agitated, 
nor,  as  they  walked  back  to  her  pension,  did  the 
cool  night  air  avail  to  restore  her  composure. 

Muir  spoke  of  the  opera  and  suddenly  reverted 
to  the  subject  of  his  own  anticipated  marriage. 

"You  have  not  told  me  the  lady's  name,  nor 
when  you  became  engaged,"  said  Jean,  as  they 
entered  the  grounds  surrounding  the  elegant  pen- 
sion. 

"Oh,"  replied  Muir,  "that  is  easily  done;  she 
is  of  medium  height,  with  wavy  brown  hair  and 
lovely  eyes,  and  her  price  is  above  rubies,  but,  as 
I  told  you,  I  hope  to  claim  her  as  my  bride  when 
the  swans  return  in  the  spring.     Yes,  1"  hope— I 


M 


194    The  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

h^pe — but— then — I  do  not  really  know — for— I 
am  not  yet  engaged — I  have  had  no  opportunity 
as  yet  of  telling  her.  hut  I  shall  tell  her  very  soon 
—and  if  she  should  refuse  the  offering  of  my 

heart !"    And  then  he  uttered  an  involuntary 

sigh. 

"What  is  her  name?"  exclaimed  Jean,  adding, 
"but  this  I  should  not  ask." 

"Oh,  yes,  indeed,  it  is  your  privilege."  answered 
^luir.  "Her  name— is— Jean  St.  Claire!"  And 
then  this  strong  man  broke  passionately  forth  in 
all  the  agony  of  his  love. 

"Jean,  Jean,  it  is  yourself  I  love,  and  have 
loved  for  long.  I've  hoped  agamst  hope  md  to- 
day I  thought  that  I  might  have  seen  n  your 
face,  in  your  eyes,  the  lovelight  which  I  had  come 
so  far  to  find.  But  I  did  not  see  it.  Oh,  Jean, 
you  must  love  me,  like  a  sailor  .t  sea  without  a 
compass,  like  a  traveler  lost  on  the  desert  and 
dying  of  thirst  have  I  been  all  the  hours  of  this 
day  and  for  many  days.  Once  I  had  thought  to 
satisfy  my  heart  with  the  rewards  of  my  calling, 
and  in  this  indeed  I  succeeded  until  I  saw  you. 
And  then,  at  the  first,  I  vowed  that  I  would  crush 
down  my  love  for  you,  but  my  love  would  not 
surrender;  then  I  thought  with  deepest  anguish 
that  my  love  for  you  was  hopeless  because  you 


g^'^-.lF^'^>;?vJr\£>?^?^  ^ 


Love  is  Victory 


195 


loved  another,  and  a  great  dark  loneliness  settled 
down  upon  my  heart ;  but  the  night  we  said  good- 
by,  our  eyes  met,  my  soul  went  out  to  yours, 
my  whole  being  was  inflamed  and  I  went  home 
intoxicated  with  hope,  saying  over  and  over  to 
myself,  'Yes,  she  will  love  me;  she  must  love  me. 
rU  win  her  yet;  I'll  conquer  her  heart;  I'll  call 
her  mine.'  From  that  very  hour,  you,  my  dear- 
est one,  have  never  been  absent  from  my  thoughts, 
waking  or  sleeping  I  have  thought  and  dreamed 
of  you  and  loved  you  with  all  the  devotion  of  my 
heart.  This  is  why  to-night,  half  insane,  I  told 
you  that  I  hoped  to  be  married  in  the  spring-time 
when  the  swans  returned,  and  I  have  hoped  it, 
yes,  so  long  and  earnestly.  Perhaps  to-night  I 
should  not  have  spoken,  but  my  heart  refused  to 
be  silent ;  I  could  not  wait,  I  had  to  speak,  I  had 
to  tell  you.  Answer  me,  tell  me,  if  it  is  possible 
that  you  can  ever  return  my  love." 

Drawing  nearer  to  him,  she  responded,  "I  have 
always  loved  you,"  and  the  face  she  raised  to  his 
was  transfigured  with  a  brightness  such  as  no 
artist  was  ever  able  to  describe. 

He  clasped  her  in  his  arms  and  their  lips  met  in 
a  tender  embrace. 


Then  followed  the  happiest  days  of  their  lives. 


'O 


■?",l^''\^; 'j  '  ^r^      ■  >    "l'./' 


.11 


-  i 
5" 


rt 


196    T/i^  World,  the  Church  and  the  Devil 

Their  hearts  were  in  the  rapture  of  a  supreme 

joy- 
Together  they  visited  the  Picture  Gallery  with 

its  marvelous  canvases  of  Correggio,  Titian,  Tin- 
toretto, Murillo,  Rubens,  Rembrandt,  and  many 
others. 

Here,  also,  they  found  the  most  celebrated  of 
all  Raphael's  Madonnas,  in  which  the  Holy  Vir- 
gin appears  descending  from  on  high,  bearing  the 
Christ  Child,  her  whole  attitude  being  not  that 
of  a  sorrowing  mother,  but  of  a  triumphant 
queen,  holding  in  her  arms  Him  who  shall  con- 
quer the  world,  while  on  either  side  of  the  canvas 
appear  the  forms  of  Saint  Sixtus  and  Saint  Cath- 
erine, kneeling  in  adoration. 

As  together  they  gazed,  for  long,  in  silence 
upon  the  impressive  lines  of  this  most  marvelous 
painting,  it  seemed  as  though  the  face  of  the 
Virgin  Mother  shone  with  a  Heavenly  light,  be- 
stowing upon  their  love  her  Benediction,  and  in 
the  consciousness  of  her  wide  sovereignty  over 
the  hearts  of  human  kind  proclaiming  that  "Love 
is  life;  Love  is  victory;  Love  is  Heaven." 


Together  they  made  happy  excursions  to  Saxon 
Switzerland  in  the  vicinity  of  Koenigstein  and 
Lillienstein.       They    traversed    together     fairy 


Love  is  Victory 


197 


paths  that  wound  their  way  through  vast  pine 
forests,  whose  thick  dark  foliage,  pierced  by  occa- 
sional shafts  of  sunlight,  seemed  to  guide  their 
feet,  as  with  celestial  torches,  symbolizing  that 
throughout  all  the  future  days  of  their  journey- 
ings  together,  whether  amid  scenes  of  light  or 
shadow,  the  flaming  lamp  of  love  would  never 
fail. 

Nor  was  this  new-found  happiness  confined  to 
their  hearts  alone — great  rejoicings  were  heard  in 
St.  Giles,  when  Mrs.  St.  Claire  announced  the 
engagement  of  her  granddaughter  to  the  Rev- 
erend James  Muir. 

A  beautiful  brown  stone  house  on  Phillips 
Square  was  purchased  by  the  Congregation  for 
a  Manse,  and  the  following  spring,  after  the  nup- 
tials of  Muir  and  Jean  had  been  celebrated  in 
the  Kirk  of  St.  Giles,  Jean  St.  Gaire  became  the 
mistress  of  the  Manse. 

The  wedding  presents  from  the  members  of 
St.  Giles  were  many  and  beautiful,  all  of  them 
manifesting  the  love  and  esteem  in  which  the  min- 
ister and  his  wife  were  held  by  the  congregation. 

Among  all  these  tokens  of  good  will  and  affec- 
tion, none  was  more  highly  prized  by  Muir  and 
Jean  than  a  young  thoroughbred  Newfoundland 
dog,  which  was  presented  to  them  by  Hector  Mac- 


11 


'98    The  IVorld.  the  Church  and  the  De. 

strict- -r''"^^^^^^^^ 

she-lion.    1  bZl,  L  '"^."'  '"■'  ""'  ^'^'-  »^ 

carry  on  her  pisnL  f",  "^'  ^"""^"^  "ho'i 

foundland     She'll  T.  ,k      """"^  ^'^"  '"  New 

-nted  to  .he  K    ''o'f  %"7  "j^  ^^  "^  P- 

Vou'll  keep  her  an"   yo^,  tv"e  /°^  ''!,^  "»>- 

nefer  need  a  truer  frienT      ^f    ^  *"''  J'™'" 

as  shell  not  be  dla  "  tj  '  i  h  '  ^°"  "  '°"? 

Hector  MacFarlane  „f  ^    „       "^  ^°"'  "'s  auld 

what.  sayi^ftteXtd:-"'''"^"'  '""--'■ 


he  Devil 


0  in  giv- 
ot  daug, 

1  in  him. 
ive  as  a 
le  Scot- 
,  who'll 
1  Nevv- 
^as  pre- 

r  boys, 
you'll 
o  long 
s  auld 
anient. 


Vtf 


♦, 


^' 


v^^ 


.v^ 


.<■   '> 


3  3286  50057  1 


498 


